Renata and Kylie

Renata recently completed a Masters of Law at Monash University, with the intention to specialise in dispute resolution.

Prior to her studies, Renata was the Solicitor in Charge of a provincial legal office in Vanimo, in the West Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG). This government office is located near the international border of PNG and Indonesia. For three years, Renata was the only government lawyer in the province and, out of her own volition, she established a leadership development program for herself and her staff.

Renata is passionate about commercial and international law and helping disadvantaged, underprivileged and minority persons and groups. Following the completion of her studies, she will return to Vanimo to continue her role in the Public Solicitor's Office.

Renata intends to build strong networks of women lawyers across PNG, in the private and public sector, and to mobilise them to effectively address issues of gender-based violence and child protection. To initiate this, she recently established a Female Lawyers Forum with her friends.

Renata also intends to establish a strong professional culture for women in the Public Solicitor's Office to make it more supportive of women lawyers and their professional leadership. By potentially bringing about change in her own workplace, she would like to influence other government departments and to have a positive impact on gender equity in the public service.

Kylie has over 18 years' experience as a legal practitioner, adviser and senior manager in Australian government and international organisations. She has been a legal adviser for the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, working in the Public Solicitor's Office, and she has worked with the Timor-Leste Ministry of Justice and UNICEF on issues of child protection. She also has experience working in Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Within Australia, Kylie has worked with the Attorney-General's department (Canberra), the Australian Government Solicitor office (Queensland), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, as well as with Legal Aid Queensland. She is currently a board member of the Queensland Parole Board, a member of the Queensland Law Society, and a volunteer lawyer at Suncoast Community Legal Services.

Kylie has extensive experience in legal, human rights, child protection and senior management roles. She has provided strategic management and oversight for legal offices, large-scale community development projects and organisations. She is highly proficient in corporate governance, financial management, performance management and service provider management.

Kylie holds a Master's degree in Law from the Australian National University.