The 26Ten Coalition

A former Deputy Secretary in the Department of Education, Malcolm worked for 34 years in public education in Tasmania. He was the General Manager of Learning Services in the North West from 2007 until 2010 and was the Principal of Ulverstone Primary School for eight years. Malcolm is a Director on the Board of the Cradle Coast Authority and is a member of the Non Government Schools Registration Board. In addition to work in the education sector Malcolm is on the Board of Choose Life Services, an organisation providing support services to those affected by suicide.

What Malcolm says about being part of the 26Ten Coalition

“26Ten is a great initiative. Hopefully each of us on the Coalition can spread the word, get others involved and connect people to the services and support that make a difference to adult literacy in Tasmania.

Playing a small part in Tasmania’s innovative approach to the challenge of improving levels of adult literacy is very rewarding. People’s lives have changed because of the work of the 26Ten team, our Network of volunteers and business and community groups who are all committed to making a difference to adult literacy in our state.”

Listen to Malcolm discuss his work with 26Ten during his Print Radio Tasmania interview.

Gail’s career spans over thirty years in local and state government environments. Her most recent roles were in the State Executive Service in the Department of Community Services and TasTAFE.

In 2019 Gail left the State Executive Service to begin her own practice, Everywhen Solutions. She uses her expertise in facilitation, leadership, people development and planning to develop bespoke solutions for her clients.

Gail has a long-standing commitment to adult learning including being a skilled trainer and assessor. At TAFE Tasmania, the Skills Institute and TasTAFE, she had a number of roles where she was accountable for achieving and maintaining compliance of the Registered Training Organisation against the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF).

Gail brings her significant experience in the vocational education and training sector to the focus on adult learning and trades in her role on the 26Ten Coalition. Gail holds a Masters of Public Administration, Bachelor of Social Science (Human Services), Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and a Company Directors Diploma. She has been a finalist in the Telstra Women’s Business Awards for her work in quality systems and workforce development.

She is a Certified Trainer in the i4 Neuroleader Model™️ using neuroscience to build healthy and high performing leaders and is an Accredited Consultant in DISC Advanced®, helping individuals and teams know their natural and adjusted behavioural workplace style.

Why Gail has joined the 26Ten Coalition

“I cannot bear the thought of an individual not being able to participate to have their best life because functional literacy is a barrier. That’s why I’m making a contribution through the 26Ten Coalition”.

“Literacy and numeracy skills are part of a person’s human capital. They help people take part in family life, community events and jobs. Studies show that almost 50 per cent of Tasmanians find reading and writing difficult. In agriculture, it may be more than 50 per cent. Tasmania’s agricultural industries employ 14,500 people.

Low levels of literacy and numeracy are barriers to employment. This may get worse in future as agriculture meets the significant opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. From family farms to corporate businesses, agriculture will increasingly need to use new technologies. Agriculture will also need to meet the growing public demand for environmental protection, animal welfare and safe, highly nutritious foods.

A good education will provide the way to a better life, increased employment opportunities and better pay. All school leavers should be equipped with literacy and numeracy skills to manage everyday social and work life. However, as we know, this is not always the case, and too many individuals slip through the net.

26Ten is a State Government program that helps people, businesses and community groups improve literacy and numeracy skills. From my own farming experience, I know the first problem is to identify people who need help, then to provide that help in a sensitive and constructive way.”

Listen to Richard discuss his work with 26Ten in his Print Radio Tasmania interview.

Allyson brings to the Coalition a diverse set of skills in primary health and community care, having spent the last nine years in the health sector, and has an extensive professional skill set in corporate governance, financial management, change management, strategy, stakeholder engagement and policy development. She is a former CEO of General Practice Training Tasmania and has held other CEO and General Manager positions throughout her long career.

Allyson has been a Chair of the national network of General Practice Regional Training Organisations. She is also a member of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, former President of the Cancer Council Tasmania, and a member of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency Finance Audit and Risk Management Committee. Her former non-executive director roles include Director of the Tasmanian Polytechnic, President of the Australian Marketing Institute (Tas) and Public Relations Institute of Australia (Tas). She holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing and International Business) and Company Directors Course Diploma.

Why Allyson has joined the 26Ten Coalition

“I’ve chosen to be on the 26Ten Coalition as a way of contributing further to the broader Tasmanian community. The total sum of many individuals enabling others in our community can be enormous. I’m looking forward to working with members of the Coalition to put my skills and expertise to good use in assisting to improve literacy and numeracy in our community.

I will aim to ‘bring along’ my colleagues in the aged care and disability sectors to really make a difference.”

Listen to Allyson discuss her work with 26Ten in her Print Radio Tasmania interview.

Born and raised in Tasmania, Traycee has witnessed inequity and disadvantage, particularly relating to literacy and numeracy challenges which has fuelled her determination to make a difference.

She has advocated for literacy and numeracy, women, inclusion, and diversity in the Tasmanian building and construction sector for many years. In her role with the Tasmanian Government’s Southern Central Trade Training Centre, she supports the delivery of vocational education and training programs, mentoring initiatives, and scholarship opportunities for all.

Traycee has held leadership roles in industry organisations, including Keystone Tasmania and St Joseph Affordable Homes. She is an independent Non-Executive Director on two Tasmanian Boards and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Traycee understands the importance of partnerships with industry stakeholders and works closely with construction companies, government agencies, educational institutions, and community organisations to promote adult literacy and numeracy.

Looking ahead, Traycee is committed to her mission of advocating for literacy and numeracy initiatives, women, inclusion, and diversity in the building and construction sector. She continues to work tirelessly to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create pathways for underrepresented individuals to thrive. With her unwavering passion and determination, she aims to inspire further positive change and encourages the building and construction industry to support 26Ten initiatives and work towards being a more equitable and diverse sector for all.

Improving literacy in Tasmania is the most important thing we can do for our future – socially and economically – and our collaborative efforts must continue for many years to come.

John was an inaugural member of the Legal Profession Board, Chair of the Property Agents Board, and Chair of the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts Management Committee from 1997 to 2012. He has also been on the boards of a number of arts related organisations, including the Tasmanian Arts Advisory Board, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Foundation.

John sees his role on the Coalition as not only raising awareness in the legal sector of the problem of adult literacy, but more importantly promoting the use of plain English in legal documents, forms and communications. He believes that there is a need to avoid the use of legalese and complex phraseology in letters of advice and documents, and particularly in forms used by courts and tribunals dealing directly with the public. He sees it as important to instil the use of plain English throughout the legal sector from as early as student level with a view to creating a more efficient and accessible legal system.

Patrick is currently Acting Executive Director of Libraries Tasmania, having moved from Darwin to Hobart in mid 2023 to take on a role managing Tasmanian public libraries.

Patrick has over 20 years’ experience as a leader in the library sector, as Director of Library & Archives NT (the Northern Territory’s ‘state’ library and archives service) and through roles at the State Library of Victoria and Victorian Parliamentary Library. He has a background in history and is passionate about the role of libraries in community development.