Member Profiles

The Heritage Council of Victoria is an independent statutory body appointed by the Governor in Council. This expert group has a broad range of functions under the Heritage Act 2017, including deciding which places and objects are added to the Victorian Heritage Register. Members represent a broad cross-section of heritage specialists and the community. They include representatives from professions as diverse as archaeology, history, architectural conservation/architectural history, engineering or building construction, property management and planning law.

 

 

 

 

 

Prof Philip Goad, Chair

Professor Philip Goad is a leader in the field of architectural history and a respected academic with significant experience in assessing and managing cultural heritage. He is internationally known for his research and is an authority on modern Australian architecture. He has worked extensively as an architect, conservation consultant, and curator. He is also an expert on the life and work of Robin Boyd, and has held visiting scholar positions at Columbia University, Bartlett School of Architecture (London) and UCLA (Los Angeles). He is a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor and Chair of Architecture at the University of Melbourne.


Margaret Baird, Deputy Chair,  Urban or Regional Planning Member

Margaret has nearly four decades of experience and practice in town and regional planning spanning State government, local government and the private sector. She has broad professional knowledge in heritage planning, legislation and practice. Margaret is a Senior Member of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. She has served on the Tribunal since 1998 including Deputy Head of the Planning and Environment List from 2017 to 2021. In addition to the Heritage Council of Victoria, Margaret is a current Member of the Victorian Geographic Place Names Advisory Panel and Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. She has previously been a Member of Planning Panels Victoria.


Karen Murphy

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Karen Murphy, Archaeology Member

Karen Murphy has extensive experience in historical archaeology and cultural heritage management. Dr Murphy is a Historical Heritage Technical Leader for Jacobs Group and is an experienced practitioner with a PhD in historical archaeology. Dr Murphy has relevant skills in the development of policy and guidelines for cultural heritage legislation and strong understanding of archaeological projects.


Dr Ursula de Jong , Architectural conservation/Architectural history Member

Ursula is an Honorary Associate Professor and Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Architecture and Built Environment at Deakin University. As an educator and academic, she has spent over 30 years teaching history to architecture students – undergrads to postgrads, and supervising numerous Masters and PhD theses. She is an architectural historian and scholar of place. She has a particular expertise in nineteenth-century gothic revival architecture. Ursula is a member of the National Liturgical Architecture and Art Council, the advisory body to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Australia. She is a founding member of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand. She is an environmental and heritage advocate – on the Board of the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and President of the Nepean Conservation Group, Inc. She is a member of the State Government’s National Parks Advisory Council and chairs the Reference Areas Advisory Committee.


Justin Naylor, Financial Management Member

Justin is the Manager of Finance and Operations at METIER3 Architects, a design-focused company with a reputation for the delivery of outstanding commercial and institutional architecture. Significant achievements include the National Gallery of Victoria (International), University of Melbourne Economics and Commerce Building, 717 Bourke Street and St James Plaza redevelopment.


David Hogg, Engineering/Building Construction Member

David Hogg has extensive experience as a consulting structural engineer working with a wide range of heritage buildings and structures over more than 25 years. Projects have ranged from small monuments and unique structures to large institutional, industrial and public buildings and structures. David is currently a Director of Quatrefoil Consulting a small structural consulting firm where his time is split approximately equally between investigation into building defects, integration of new structure within existing building, remediation of structures and structural design of new buildings.


Anna Foley, National Trust Member 

Anna Foley is the Regional Operations Manager at Trust for Nature, overseeing a protected area network of more than 100,000 hectares. With experience in environmental conservation, statutory planning, heritage and community engagement, Anna is a member of the National Parks Advisory Council, Reference Areas Advisory Committee, and volunteers for the National Trust of Australia (Victoria).

Michael McMahon, Member who is an Aboriginal person with relevant experience and knowledge of cultural heritage

Michael McMahon is a Bundjalung man who works as First Nations Lead at Wardle Architects and has previously worked in research, curation and design roles. Michael has a Master of Arts in Architecture and a Bachelor of Architectural Design.


Simon Molesworth AO, KC, Legal member

Simon Molesworth AO, KC was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1995 (now King’s Counsel), specialising in environmental, planning, heritage, natural resource and climate change law. Simon Molesworth AO, KC was the foundation Chairman of the Executive Board of the International National Trusts Organisation from 2007 to 2015.


Dr Helen Doyle,  History Member

Dr Helen Doyle is an experienced historian, writer and editor with over twenty years’ experience in heritage and conservation. She has expertise in preparing heritage assessments, conservation management plans and significance assessments for places and collections.


ALTERNATE HERITAGE COUNCIL MEMBERS

 

Dr Mark Burgess, Alternate Financial Management Member

Mark Burgess has over 30 years leadership experience in Australia’s building and construction sector, with roles in both government and private industry. He actively supports the sector through roles on the Council of Standards Australia and the National Construction Code’s Building Codes Committee. Mark’s technical background in fire safety is supported by an MBA and PhD in business, with research focused on the influence of public participation in setting regulation.


Adrian Finanzio SC, GAICD, Alternate Heritage Law Member

Adrian has practiced extensively in the field of planning, environment and heritage related matters for 25 years. Adrian became a member of the Victorian Bar in 1998 and took silk in 2012. He served as a member of the Board of the Victorian Planning and Environmental Law Association for 12 years, including as Vice President for six years. He is presently a member of the Victorian Bar Council and Deputy Chair of Barristers’ Chambers Limited. Adrian has served on the Board of the Legal Practitioners’ Liability Committee (the insurer of the legal profession) since 2015. Adrian is a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and serves, and has served, as a non-executive and executive director on boards over the last 10 years. Adrian has taught at Monash University and continues to teach at the University of Melbourne in the field of planning and environmental law at graduate and undergraduate level.


Phoebe LaGerche-Wijsman, Alternate National Trust Member 

Phoebe is the CEO of ArchiTeam Cooperative Ltd, a member owned cooperative that supports Australian small practice Architects to thrive, and has previously worked for the Australian Garden History Society and the Australian Institute of Architects. She has extensive experience in working in the not-for-profit sector, membership, stakeholder, and community engagement. Phoebe is a qualified Landscape Architect and has completed studies in Architecture, has a Diploma of Business (Governance), and has experience in the Architecture and Planning environment. Phoebe is a member of the Expert Heritage Committee for the National Trust of Australia (Victoria).

David Helms, Alternate Urban or Regional Planning Member

David Helms is a strategic planner and cultural heritage advisor with over twenty-five years urban and regional planning experience and has worked in a variety of local and state government organisations in Melbourne, Sydney and regional Victoria. Prior to his current appointment, David had been an expert external member of the ‘Local Government Specialist Committee’ established by the Council, which advises the Council on key strategic issues facing local government.


Peter Mathieson, Alternate Engineering/Building Construction Member

Mr Peter Mathieson is a Chartered Professional Engineer and Registered Building Professional in Victoria with more than 38 years in the industry. Currently Technical Director in Global Design at Aurecon Australia, Peter has worked in technical and project leadership on high-profile engineering projects, both nationally and internationally, across a broad range of built form.


Maddison Miller, Alternate member, Aboriginal person with relevant experience and knowledge of cultural heritage

Maddison is an experienced archaeologist and Darug woman. She has a Master of Professional Archaeology from La Trobe University and is currently employed as a Research Fellow in ecological knowledge of Country at the University of Melbourne. She has experience in the assessment and management of cultural heritage.


Dr Janine Major, Alternate Archaeology Member

Janine has a PhD in Archaeology from La Trobe University and a mini-MBA from the Australian Institute of management. Her previous roles include Principal, GML Heritage Victoria and Senior Manager Strategy and Operations for the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council. Dr Major has over 16 years’ experience in archaeology and cultural heritage management and has worked on a range of historical and Aboriginal sites of local, state and world heritage significance.


Ruth Redden, Alternate Architectural conservation/Architectural history Member

Ruth Redden is a registered architect with over 10 years experience in the conservation, management, repair and adaptive reuse of historic sites. She has a particular interest in the intersection of heritage and environmental sustainability. Ruth’s planning experience is drawn from her role as heritage advisor to multiple inner city municipalities, where she advises on developments within local heritage overlay areas. As a member of a number of technical committees including at ICOMOS (Aus), National Trust (Vic), and the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ) , Ruth provides advice on the environmentally sustainable management of historic assets.


Megan McDougall, Alternate General Member

Megan McDougall has more than 30 years experience in cultural heritage management in state and local government contexts as well as in the private sector. Megan trained and worked as an architect prior to specialising in cultural heritage. She has extensive leadership experience in the assessment and management of cultural heritage, including the management of heritage grants programs in Victoria. Megan has been actively involved in Australia ICOMOS since1992 and is currently co-convenor of the National Scientific Committee on Industrial Heritage.


Dr Steve Campbell-Wright, Alternate history member

Steve Campbell-Wright is a cultural historian with particular interest in the influence of place on the culture of organisations and communities. He is a respected researcher and author on subjects ranging from built heritage and military culture to automotive history. Steve has a PhD from the University of Melbourne and has recently been on field missions to Middle East warzones to collect artefacts and personal stories for return to Australia. He also has a strong background in strategic planning and board governance roles.