Wednesday 6th August

Peter Ali - CEO of Municipal Works Australia

Peter Ali serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Municipal Works Australia (MWA), bringing over 25 years of senior management experience within the government sector, particularly in local government. Before joining MWA, Peter dedicated 16 years to the City of Whittlesea in Victoria, where he advanced through several key roles—from Parks & Gardens Special Projects Officer (1996–2003) to Manager of Infrastructure, and ultimately General Manager of City Presentation (2003–2019).

Peter holds a PhD in Public Policy and an MBA. Under his leadership, MWA has introduced innovative leadership and online training programs, and has expanded its national field days and conferences, including the annual National Municipal Works & Engineering Conference in Bendigo.

DR RIC CHARLESWORTH (Cit WA, AO)

Ric Charlesworth is a doctor of medicine with an honorary Science degree and an Arts degree majoring in philosophy and history. He is a former captain of the Australian Hockey Team and the Western Australian State Hockey Team and Cricket Team. He played hockey for Australia for a record 17 years and played first class cricket for nearly a decade.

He was elected a member of Federal parliament in 1983 and retired 10 years later. His plans to pursue medicine were diverted when he took on the position of National Coach of the Australian Women’s Hockey Team from 1993 to 2000. Between 2009 and 2014 he coached the Men’s team.He is the author of 5 books on coaching and team management.

In four World Cups and three Olympic Games as coach of Australia Charlesworth’s teams won Gold on 6 occasions and once won bronze. They won 8 of 9 Champions Trophy tournaments and 2 Commonwealth Games Gold medals… this is a record never equalled in the sport. Between 1994 and 2014 Charlesworth was ‘Coach of the Year’ 8 times! 

Given that in the last 60 years Australia has won five Hockey World Cups and four Olympic Gold Medals (nine in total), Charlesworth’s involvement in seven of these as a coach or player is an extraordinary contribution to the sport.

Between 2022 to 2024 Ric has worked in China assisting the Chinese national team to win the Asian Games in October 2023 and to secure a silver medal in Paris in August. The team ranked 14th in 2022 made a meteoric rise in the game to lose in the Olympic final in a sudden death shootout.

Lucy Bloom

Lucy is an award-winning leader and speaker. She’s a change-maker, exceptional communicator, and business fixer with the best mohawk in the business. Lucy led an advertising agency for 20 years before she held CEO roles leading international aid organisations, one in Ethiopia and another in Cambodia. She’s the founder of an education start-up and the author of four books including her memoir, Get the Girls Out, and her latest, a killer novel.

You will find Lucy challenging and entertaining in equal measure, with humour tied into a powerful business message. She’s a rule-breaker, idea-maker and momentum creator.

Greg Harding 

Greg is a name many Australian footy fans will recognise, playing for both the Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL), as well as Claremont and Swan Districts in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). A versatile defender, Harding switched to coaching the Swan Districts in the WAFL in 2007 and is considered one of the best coaches in the WAFL.

Harding’s story is one of resilience, passion, and leadership. Harding has overcome many challenges, achieving success at both the AFL and WAFL levels. He is a respected figure in the Australian football community and an inspiration to many young players and coaches.

Vern Bastian

General Manager MetroCount

Vern Bastian has been with MetroCount since 1994, playing a key role in the company’s journey from a small team to a global name in traffic data solutions. Over the years, Vern has been involved in just about every part of the business - whether it’s helping shape new products, supporting international growth, or working closely with the team to solve day-to-day challenges. As General Manager, Vern brings a practical, hands-on approach and a deep understanding of the industry. Known for his collaborative style and long-term vision, Vern continues to help guide MetroCount as it evolves to meet the needs of transport professionals worldwide.

Justin Scotchbrook

Justin Scotchbrook is the WA Territory Manager of Before You Dig Australia. His focus is the promotion of the Damage Prevention message throughout the State by developing strategies that increase the awareness of Before You Dig Australia to different audiences. This has included the establishment and delivery of education programs, as well as liaison with industry to secure new members to protect their assets with the Before You Dig Australia service. Justin has been with Before You Dig Australia since 2015, prior to that he has held senior executive positions in the utilities industry in Western Australia since 1995. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration, and is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Paul Starling

Local Government Road Safety Manager

Paul has worked at Main Roads Western Australia for a total of 12 years. Prior to joining Main Roads Paul was a Police Officer with the WA Police Force for over 17 years specialising in Traffic Law and Crash Investigation.

He began his Main Roads career with Heavy Vehicle Operations initially as a Transport Inspector then later moved to Manager of Legal and Accreditation and then Manager Road Transport Compliance. Paul moved to the Road Safety Section in 2016 as the Road Safety Management System Co ordinator until last year when he was promoted to the newly created position of Local Government Road Safety Manager where his focus is providing Road Safety Engineering expertise to Local Governments. He is a Senior Road Safety Auditor accredited through the IPWA / Main Roads WA Road Safety Audit Panel.

Simone Springer

Simone is a Perth based comedian and the first female host of Sunday Singles