Vivienne Skinner

I am a speechwriter and senior adviser to Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, providing strategic advice on how to get our cities serving us better. I have been a long time supporter of the creative industries, working as an arts adviser to two former NSW premiers with a strong focus on the Australian film industry. I am a trained nurse, former television newsreader, reporter and newspaper journalist. I have been an audio narrator for Vision Australia. I serve on several boards including: the South Australian Film Corporation; Beyond Empathy which uses the arts to improve the lives and health of disadvantaged young Australians; Sydney based physical theatre company Legs on the Wall and The Big Issue Committee for Sydney which is helping to create income for rough sleepers and people who are homeless. I have been a director of the Sydney Festival, deputy chair of the Adelaide Film Festival and a founding director of the Russian Resurrection Film Festival in Paddington's Chauvel Cinema. I am married with three children and have lived and worked in Sydney for the past 23 years.