Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, Assistant Minister for Employment, Parliament of Australia
Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury and Employment, and Federal Member for Fenner in the ACT. Prior to being elected in 2010, Andrew was a professor of economics at the Australian National University. He holds a PhD in Public Policy from Harvard, having graduated from the University of Sydney with first class honours in Arts and Law. Andrew is a past recipient of the Economic Society of Australia's Young Economist Award and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences.

Professor Brian Schmidt AC
Vice-Chancellor and President, The Australian National University
Brian Schmidt is Distinguished Professor of Astronomy and the 12th Vice Chancellor and President of the Australian National University. For his work on the accelerating universe, Brian Schmidt as leader of the High-Z SN Search team was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics, jointly with Adam Riess and Saul Perlmutter. Brian completed joint undergraduate degrees in astronomy and physics at the University of Arizona (1989), an astronomy master's degree (1992) and PhD (1993) from Harvard University. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, The United States Academy of Science, Royal Society of London, Foreign Member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences, and Foreign Member of the Indian Academy of Sciences. In 2013, he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia. Brian also runs Maipenrai Vineyard and Winery, a 2.7 acre vineyard and small winery in the Canberra District which produces Pinot Noir.     

MODERATOR Genevieve Jacobs AM
Group Editor, Region Media Group
Genevieve Jacobs has been a journalist for 30 years, working in print and radio. Her career began with rural newspapers on the South West Slopes, she has freelanced for national magazines and spent a decade with ABC Radio Canberra. She sits on the Cultural Facilities Corporation board and chairs the Canberra International Music Festival. She is also a director of the Conflict Resolution Service. Genevieve was the inaugural chair of the arts minister's Creative Council, and inaugural co-chair of the Reconciliation Council. In 2021, Genevieve was made a Member in the Order of Australia (AM) for her services to broadcasting and the community. Genevieve has an enduring interest in building community, and creating discussions that include us all. And she still loves nothing better than a good yarn.