Our leadership

Adj Assoc Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM, CEO/Secretary

Elizabeth is passionate about promoting and advancing the professional and industrial interests of nurses, midwives and personal care assistants. CEO/Secretary since March 2008, Elizabeth works tirelessly to achieve the goals of ANMF (SA Branch) and to create a future that our members seek and so justly deserve. She takes pride in the fact that membership has grown over 100% since she came into office.

She holds qualifications in nursing, education, leadership, management and law, and worked as a solicitor at DBH immediately prior to taking up her current role.

Elizabeth is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Education Centre (ANMEC), the Branch’s registered training organisation, which provides education to hundreds of students annually leading to qualifications in Certificate III in aged care, Certificate IV in Service Co-ordination and Enrolled nurse training. 

Elizabeth became a member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia in June 2014 in recognition of her significant service to medical administration, particularly to nursing and midwifery, and to community and mental health organisations.

She is a current member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee for Return to Work and past member of numerous Boards and Committees including the Country Health SA Health Advisory Council and Emergency Department Taskforce. She was awarded the 2010 Midwifery Advocate of the year Award.  Elizabeth is also a Director of both the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre and Rosemary Bryant Foundation. 

Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Nursing Degree (Flinders University), a Post-Graduate Degree in Adult Education (Uni SA), a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) Degree (Adelaide University) a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Society of South Australia and was part of the 2009 Governor’s Leadership Program cohort. She also is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, having completed the AICD Company Directors Course in 2012.

Her academic status is held with Flinders University.

Previously employed as a Personal Care Assistant and later as a Registered Nurse, Elizabeth has worked in a diverse range of settings in metropolitan and rural regions.  She has also taught Diploma and Degree level students on topics including ‘Law and Ethics’ and 'Labour and Industrial Relations Law'.

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Rob Bonner, Director, Operations and Strategy

Rob is the Director, Operations & Strategy for the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (SA Branch). His role includes leadership of the SA Branch’s industrial, education and membership programs.

He established the Branch’s registered training organisation, operating under the name of ANMEC (the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Education Centre). He has led the national research exploring aged care staffing arrangements for the ANMF (2016 report) following completion of an earlier study funded by the Commonwealth Government in 2012.

Rob is a former member (2015-18) of the Australian Industry & Skills Committee which provides advice to State and National Governments through the COAG Ministerial Council and regulates Training Packages for all industry sectors. Rob is also the Deputy Chair of the national Aged services Industry reference committee which is working to revise training and education related to the aged care sector in both VET and the University systems.

In addition to the aged care research project completed in 2016 he is also a researcher in a project being undertaken by the ANMF (SA Branch) in collaboration with the University of Adelaide, Central Adelaide LHN and two overseas Universities exploring the impact of single room hospitals on nurses, their practice and on patient outcomes.

He is also Deputy Chair of the Steering Committee, Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre a collaborative research centre established by the ANMF (SA Branch) and the University of South Australia, a Director of the Rosemary Bryant Foundation and a Trustee of Union Legal SA. Rob is also a member of the Executive of SA Unions.

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Jocelyn Douglass, President, Executive Member

Jocelyn has worked in both the public and private sectors in acute inpatient, general and psychiatric, and has spent all of her recent practice in acute community mental health. She has been an active Worksite Representative for many years and has been a member of ANMF (SA Branch) Council since 2004 and of the Executive since 2006.

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Jo Duffy, Vice President, Executive Member

Jo Duffy is a former Vice President of ANMF (SA Branch) Jo has enjoyed an extensive and varied nursing career and currently works as a community nurse / midwife.  She is a long-term active worksite representative and rejoined the Executive team in December 2017.

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Sharon Horn, Executive Member

Sharon is a Registered nurse working as a Nurse Practitioner within the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program across two large metropolitan hospitals. Sharon has been a Council member since December 2016 and a member of the Executive since December 2017.

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Janice Clifford, Executive Member

Janice works as a Clinical Nurse at a major metropolitan public hospital and is an active long standing Worksite Representative. Promoting the safety of nurses and midwives in the workplace with optimal skills mix and staffing levels is her passion. Janice has been a member of Council since December 2008 and became a member of the Executive in December 2012.

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Stuart Smith, Executive Member

Stuart has worked in Emergency Nursing, including in nurse-led Minor Injury Units and Walk-in-Centres, in several large teaching hospitals in both the UK and Australia. He became an Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) in 1998. He has a strong commitment to education, holding an Adjunct Lecturer position with the University of SA’s School of Nursing and is a facilitator on the Rural Emergency Skills Program. Stuart has been a member of the ANMF-SA Council since December 2016.

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Councillors

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