Thank you for joining us for the exclusive launch of It’s A Penalty’s #KeepKidsSafe Campaign aimed at creating awareness of child abuse and exploitation within sporting environments in the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Our special guest speakers discussed how this issue is prevalent in so many different areas of our lives, and what we can all do to help keep children safe in our panel discussion:
Navigating CSE online, in business and in our communities
Helena Dorczak is a Director of Women’s Sport Australia and member of the Football Australia’s Women’s Football Council – two peak bodies who advise and advocate for gender equity in sport. In her day to day, Helena is the Chief of Staff at the Australian Professional Leagues – the peak body who are responsible for professional football in Australia and New Zealand. In her role as Chief of Staff, Helena is responsible for the implementation of the overall company strategy which included being the first professional sport in Australia to promote gender equality and inclusivity through the rebranding of their 3 major competitions to the A-Leagues and will shortly include the reinvigoration of their youth league competition. Helena has previously held roles in commercial strategy and risk & compliance at Sydney FC, formulating the Club’s safeguarding framework, expanding their charitable arm – the Sydney FC Foundation and securing private and government funding for various projects.
As a leader in the social services and impact space, for twenty years Anna has dedicated her career to solving some of the world’s most complex problems through investment and innovation.
Holding senior roles at the United Nations, Impact Investing Australia, NSW Treasury Office of Social Impact Investing, and SEFA – Social Enterprise Finance Australia, Anna has led and contributed to projects that have delivered considerable social and environmental outcomes.
Driven to create change in the world, she now combines her extensive business, investment and impact skills to lead a team dedicated to the protection of vulnerable children. In their work, Anna and her team collaborate with financial institutions, law enforcement agencies, child protection NGOs and technology companies to facilitate and develop innovative data and technological solutions to enhance the detection, reporting, prosecution and prevention of child sexual exploitation.
Jon Rouse served for 39 years with the Queensland Police Service in Australia. In 1996 Jon began investigating crimes against children and in 2001 he commenced at Task Force Argos where he implemented Australia’s first operation to proactively target internet child sex offenders.
During his career, Jon instigated multiple national and international investigations targeting child exploitation criminal networks and has delivered training to law enforcement officers in Australia and across the world.
Jon was awarded the Queensland Australian of the Year for 2019 and he is the recipient of the Queensland Police Medal, the National Service Medal, the Exemplary Conduct medal, the Queensland Police Meritorious Service Medal, the National Police Medal and the Australian Police Medal.
Toby Dagg is currently acting Chief Operating Officer and General Manager at the eSafety Commissioner. Prior to taking on this role, Toby was the Executive Manager of Investigation, overseeing regulatory and other investigations into online child sexual abuse material, terrorist and violent extremist content, image-based abuse, serious child cyberbullying and adult cyber abuse. Toby holds or has held various board and advisory positions, including as Vice-President of the International Association of Internet Hotlines, the Westpac Safer Children Safer Communities Roundtable, WeProtect, Crime Stoppers NSW, and INTERPOL. Prior to joining eSafety, Toby served as a Detective with NSW Police and worked in child protection through NSW Justice.
Brigette McGuire is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, with Non-Executive Director and Chair experience across the Tertiary Education and Sport & Recreation sectors.
For over 25 years she had made a positive impact to some of the biggest brands in the world of sport and media including the grand slams of tennis, F1 Racing, AFL & NRL, the majors of golf, and cricket to name a few. Brigette’s career began on the tennis court as a high-performance coach. It is this ability to identify and nurture talent that enables Brigette to lead cross sector executive teams to achieve transformational outcomes.
An award-winning strategist and university lecturer, Brigette joins us this evening to share the work of the Australian Childhood Foundation, where she leads the development of the Australian Child Safeguarding Business Coalition, a world first cross sector initiative whose vision is that children and young people are safe wherever they are.