Our Panels and Committees
Complaints Committee
Stephen Mutton APM
Complaints Committee Chair
Stephen Mutton APM was an experienced police officer who retired in December 2019 after a distinguished career spanning 40 years with Victoria Police. Stephen attained the rank of Inspector and worked primarily in Melbourne’s CBD, northern and western suburbs and has led and managed large numbers of personnel at critical and major events but also in the day to day world of policing. For over the past four years of his career, Stephen performed the community engagement role which was challenging and constantly evolving with interaction with numerous new and emerging communities throughout Melbourne. Stephen developed strong and robust partnerships with government and non-government organisations ensuring an all-agencies approach in dealing with local issues that impact on crime, terrorism related matters and public safety.
Stephen was very passionate in the support and welfare of staff and was influential in the Victoria Police Mentoring Program as a syndicate leader for three years in the development of 15 senior sergeants. Stephen has been an effective “community connector” and his innovative leadership style involving strong networking and influencing skills has ensured successful initiatives have been implemented not only internally but also within the community. Stephen has been instrumental in the implementation of the Victoria Police Diversity Recruitment Program where applicants from a diverse background are being assisted in preparing them for the Victoria Police recruitment process and also during their training at the Police Academy and continues today as the course mentor.
Stephen has attained a Master in Leadership and Management (Policing) and was awarded the Victoria Police Annual Multicultural Award in 2017 and the Australian Police Medal in 2019. Stephen is married with three adult children, is an avid gardener and Geelong AFL supporter.
William Wainwright
William Wainwright is psychologist with over 20 years’ experience working with many government and non-government organisations. William has worked in-depth in the forensic and clinical field with adults and clients with intellectual disabilities. He has worked in both the private practice field and provided Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) across a variety of businesses. William is well versed in both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. He works in a strength-based model offering a safe and non-judgmental environment to address psychological issues presented. William also works with the Aboriginal community by providing psychological services to Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Co-Operative ('GEGAC').
Nicole Burns
Nicole has over 15 years experience in administrative law, as a decision maker in different statutory settings, at both the federal and state level. These include as a member in the Migration and Refugee Division of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, a community member of the Adult Parole Board of Victoria, and Deputy Chair of the Patient review panel.
Prior to her work in administrative law, Nicole worked in international development. This included living and working for eight years in Asia (Indonesia and Sri Lanka) with the Australian government, United Nations and an international non government organisation, specialising in assisting communities recover from natural and man made disasters.
Peter Leslie
Peter has worked in the community services, education and health education sectors for over 30 years including substantial experience in child protection as a practitioner, manager and senior manager and roles in policy development, professional education and regional operations. As a self-employed project consultant, he worked for 10 years with community service and health organisations on a range of commissions including submissions to Royal Commissions and state and federal parliamentary inquiries. In addition to his work with Pathways, Peter is a member of the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency – Community Advisory Council.
Assessment Panel
Annie Grant
Lead Member
Ms Grant has over thirty years of legal experience. From admission she gained experience in private practice, with the Office of Public Prosecutions and also in the community legal sector.
From 2005 she served for five years as a board member on the Mental Health Review Board (as it then was), and for ten years as a part time Tribunal Member on the Social Security Appeals Tribunal. From 2010 to 2012 Ms Grant also undertook a role assessing asylum claims as an independent merits reviewer with the Independent Protection Assessment Office.
Since the amalgamation of various Federal tribunals into the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in 2015, Ms Grant has worked in the Social Security and Child Support and Migration Review Divisions of the Tribunal. She continues as a part time member of that Tribunal working currently in the Migration and Refugee Division.
Jeff Katz
Jeff is a highly experienced, legally qualified dispute resolution professional, practising as a mediator/conciliator since 1995 in a variety of evidence-based dispute resolution interventions, particularly in relationship-oriented conflicts. Jeff is a Nationally Accredited Mediator (NMAS) and an accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (AGD), having facilitated thousands of mediations/conciliations in a range of settings, including the community and government sectors, family courts, and in his private practice, Family Transitions, through which he was also integrally involved in the development, research and training of now commonly integrated child inclusive and child-focused mediation practices in Australia and elsewhere.
Jeff is also a Restorative Engagement Facilitator with the Commonwealth Ombudsman and a conciliator in various commercial arenas, including leasing and building disputes. Jeff’s professional life began as a litigation lawyer and evolved to non-litigious dispute resolution methods as a means of preserving and restoring inter-personal relationships whilst also resolving conflict.
In addition to law his formal training has included family therapy, counselling, conflict resolution and, unrelated but surprisingly relevant, political science and cultural theory.
Gerald Miller
Gerald Miller is an experienced general counsel lawyer, predominantly in commercial matters and also in school governance, with experience in community and individual endeavours to reconcile and redress historical sexual abuse of students. Prior to 30+ years’ experience as a lawyer Gerald practised as a rehabilitation counsellor and psychologist.
Gerald has also had many corporate governance roles including as a director of a health insurance fund and in disability services organisations.
Resolution Panel
Penelope Ralston
Lead Member
Penelope is a lawyer with more than 20 years of experience in administrative (government) law. She is also a qualified and experienced senior government investigator, holding senior government roles, including Deputy Commissioner. Penelope also sits on Human Research Ethics Committees and Boards. She has a long-standing passion and is experienced in complex socio-medico-legal ethical issues, which is reflected in her various roles in women’s health and public hospitals. She has worked as a duty lawyer and sat on and appeared before multiple tribunals, so she is acutely aware of the primacy of natural justice.
Penelope started her professional life as a registered nurse, predominantly in women’s health and as a theatre nurse working with patients with AIDS in the 1980s when AIDS was little understood and much feared.
In her spare time, Penelope enjoys spending time with and going on excursions and long walks with her partner, her adult family and their dogs.
Lucy McCarthy
BAppSc (PSychology), GradDip (Counselling & Psychotherapy)
Lucy is a trained Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor with 15 years of experience across the not-for-profit and community health sectors. After spending many years working with Problem Gamblers with comorbid mental health issues, she began specialising in the treatment of Complex Trauma. Over the duration of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Lucy worked across two of Victoria’s funded specialist support services in both clinical and managerial roles. She supported many victim-survivors through their engagement with the Royal Commission, assisting them in documenting their experiences, attending their Private Session and treating any mental health issues where appropriate. Additionally, during this period, she spent 12 months overseeing the Small Grants program for Victoria’s Forced Adoption Support Service.
Prior to commencing with Pathways, Lucy was a Practice Specialist of Therapeutic Services at a state-wide not-for-profit organisation. In this role, she took a step back from directly working with individuals and their families, instead focusing upon evidence-based service delivery that was underpinned by ethical, equitable and trauma-informed practice principles.
Lucy views her work with Pathways Victoria as another way in which she can support victim-survivors on their healing journey.
Naz Mancini
Naz is legally qualified with more than 20 years experience as a lawyer in government roles and in his own private practice, and a combined experience of over 40 years working primarily in the State’s Courts and Tribunals and also in various government legal roles at state, commonwealth and local government level.
In 2020, Naz was appointed as an Independent Decision Maker (IDM) for the National Redress Scheme into Institutional responses to Child Sexual Abuse. He later worked with the Covid-19 Response Team at Department of Health, as a Senior Advisor to the Office of the Chief Health Officer.
Prior to this Naz has had extensive experience working at the Victims of Crime Tribunal and also assisting victims whilst in private practice.