Victorian Branch Committee

The Victorian Branch Committee is a group of elected members. We motivate, coordinate and develop local human rights activism. By mobilising our members and contributors, we promote human rights awareness, support activism and contribute to Amnesty International’s financial stability within Australia.

The committee members are as follows:

Russell Solomon, President
Brenda Tait, Vice President
Mae Gan, Treasurer
Tony Bergen, Secretary
Adam Laidlaw
Anna Song
Bala Mudaly
David Robertson
Jules Kajtar
Louisa Shillingford-Brown
Wendy Salisbury


Russell Solomon, President

Russell has been on the Branch Committee since 2005, having been an activist for over 20 years during which time he has been a group convenor and regional coordinator in Australia and New Zealand. He is currently acting convenor of the Inner South group, a member of the Williamstown group, a member of the Branch Group Support Team and the national convenor for the Russia letter writing group. His particular interests in Amnesty include the anti-death penalty campaign, the human rights and security campaign, the human rights situation in the Russian Federation, and economic, social and cultural rights. He is keen to see activism represented at all levels of the Amnesty organisation.

He is qualified in law and political science and has practised law, been a legal and policy officer with the Federal government, a university academic, worked in policy, legal and industrial work in the national office of a union, and been a parliamentary committee staffer. He currently teaches both law and political science at a university where his current research and writing interests include economic, social and cultural rights.

Brenda Tait, Vice President

Brenda has been an active member of Victorian Branch of AI since 2002. She has been involved in a variety of ways including administrative volunteering, previous general VBC Membership, past Branch Secretary in 2004/05. She has been a member of the Candle Day Committee for over 5 years.

Brenda became involved with AI for two reasons: 1. Treatment of refugees in Australia. 2. Alarm about Australia’s Security Legislation. She has developed a strong commitment to supporting grass roots activism and campaigning which provides opportunities for community engagement with Human Rights issues.

Brenda is a parent of two adult sons.  She worked in the area of Disability Services whilst completing her Honours Degree in Sociology. She currently is completing her PhD over the next 2 years at Melbourne University.

Mae Gan, Treasurer

Mae is a member of the Victorian Branch Committee of Amnesty International in Australia. In this role, she regularly participates in meetings to discuss, plan and organise Amnesty International events, such as Candle Day, Stand Up for Your Rights Comedy Festival, White Ribbon Day and 16 Days of Action. She also contributes to policies being developed by Amnesty International on social and human rights issues.

Mae is an ardent supporter of protecting human rights and helping disadvantaged and disempowered groups around the world. She is qualified as a lawyer. In her Undergraduate and Masters of Law degrees, she studied international law and the laws of developing countries, which are both relevant to the protection of human rights. She has also worked as a volunteer of regional legal services who's focus includes providing legal advice to underprivileged sectors of the community. Mae has also worked on secondment at the Women’s Legal Service in Victoria whose focus is on providing legal advice to women and specialising in relationship breakdown and violence against women.

Mae’s goals include increasing the extent to which human rights issues are a live debate throughout the community, and increasing community involvement in human rights by increasing community interest as well as an awareness of how individuals may help. For this purpose, she is involved in developing community radio programs which discuss current human rights issues and encourage community involvement in organizations such as Amnesty International.


Tony Bergen, Secretary

Tony Bergen joined Amnesty International as a member of a local group and is committed to promoting Amnesty at the grass-roots level. He was the convenor of the Eltham Local Group from 2003 to 2007, and he maintains an active involvement with this group. He has been a member of the Victorian Branch Committee since 2005.

In 2005 Tony also joined the Branch Group Support Team, which supports local action groups in Victoria, and which he currently convenes.  Throughout 2007, Tony coordinated the formation of a new local action group called “The Hills” in the Dandenong Ranges region east of Melbourne, and he also maintains an active involvement with this group. In 2008 Tony is also a part of a working group looking at ways to better support the thematic action groups in Victoria.

Tony’s main human rights interests are the campaigns against torture, the “War on Terror” and the wider human rights and security context. A physicist by trade, Tony routinely travels overseas for his work, primarily throughout the SE Asian region, where he regularly promotes the message of human rights.


Adam Laidlaw

Adam has been a member of Amnesty International for 28 years joining Amnesty International UK in 1980, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand in 1996 and Amnesty International Australia in 2006. He was Chair of Amnesty International New Zealand from 2004 to 2006 and in 2005 was a delegate at the Chairs Forum and the International Council Meeting, Morelos, Mexico. He joined the Victoria Branch Committee in January 2007.

Adam has had an extensive career in the not-for-profit sector professionally and at the governance level specialising in social and environmental justice agencies and is currently chief executive of WaterAid Australia.

Adam’s particular interests within human rights advocacy are poverty and human dignity and women’s rights.


Anna Song


Bala Mudaly


David Robertson

David has been a member of Amnesty International since 1997. During that time he has been active in the Eltham group, where he has served the group in the capacity as group member, Vice President and President, and he has also coordinated the Iranian campaign for the Eltham group. This is his first term on the VBC.

David is currently a Public Servant and has also worked in the hospitality industry. Aside from Amnesty International David is involved with the Public Transport Users Association, Doncare Welfare Agency, Friends of the ABC and a number of environmental groups. David takes a keen interest in all areas of human rights.


Jules Kajtar

Jules has been a member of the Victorian Branch Committee since December 2004 as a General Member, and was elected as Secretary for the 06-07 term.  He has been convenor of the Victorian Youth Network for 3-4 years, and is still an active member.  He has been the Victorian Volunteer Coordinator for over 4 years, guiding new members and volunteers into active roles. As part of this role, over the last two years he has regularly facilitated Victoria’s monthly new member/volunteer introduction meetings. Until recently, he was also a member and convenor of the Branch Group Support Team - which is responsible for ensuring that Victoria’s local groups remain happy and healthy. Jules’ areas of interest in campaigning are Human Rights & Security and Anti-Death Penalty.

Jules has attended the NAGM every year since 2003-06, as well as the National Youth Summit in 2005 and 2006.


Louisa Shillingford-Brown

Louisa joined Amnesty International as a student in the UK in 1991. She has a passion for and commitment to the defence of human rights, particularly of those most vulnerable - women and children. After landing on the shores of Australia she became an active member of the Victorian Women's Team, campaigning on the global issue of Violence Against Women. She performed the duties of co-Secretary and National Representative of the team for two years. Louisa has been a VBC general since April 2007.
 
During office hours, Louisa works in marketing. From here she hopes to transfer her communication skills in a manner that supports and strengthens the work of Amnesty's activist groups and contributes to raising the profile of their work within mainstream Australia.


Wendy Salisbury

Wendy has been a member of Amnesty since 1992. This is her second year on the Victorian Branch Committee, and 2008 will also be her second year of attendance at NAGM.  Her other involvements with AI include over 15 years with the AI Nunawading Group where she has worked as both a coordinator and secretary. Wendy enjoys the challenge of seeing and understanding the bigger picture of Amnesty International.

By day Wendy works at St Vincent’s Hospital in Health Information Services in the clerical/admin area.  Wendy is a graduate of Melbourne College of Divinity, and Churches of Christ Theological College. She is involved in the Pastoral Care area at St Michael’s Uniting Church and is Head of the East Region of St Michael’s Members.


For more information on elections to the Victorian Branch Committee, please contact rcvic@amnesty.org.au.  Elections are held in May at the Victorian Branch Annual General Meeting.