An expert panel of Paralympians, disability advocates and high-performance experts will help shape the future of Para sport in Queensland.
State Olympic and Paralympic Games Minister Tim Mander said the appointment of the the Para Reference Panel’s came as Queensland marked seven years until the start of the 2032 Paralympic Games.
Minister Mander said the independent panel of six members would use their extensive knowledge of Para sport and lived experience to help improve accessibility in sport for all Queenslanders.
“With exactly seven years until the 2032 Paralympic Games, we’re working hard to ensure Queensland remains a world leader in Para sport,” he said.
“We want to ensure that all Queenslanders have an opportunity to be active and to follow their sporting aspirations all the way to the highest levels of sport.”
Panel lead Michael Dobbie-Bridges said he was looking forward to helping develop a Games legacy that would benefit all Queenslanders.
“It’s critical that we look at the ecosystem of sport, not just Paralympic sport, to make sure that anyone with a disability that wants to be more active has the opportunity to do so,” Mr Dobbie-Bridges said.
“We have an amazing opportunity with the Games to help shape the physical and mental health of people with disability and the opportunities that they have.
“We want to make sure that we get to 2032 and we have more people with disability being active, more often. If we can achieve that, we will have had some pretty important impacts on people’s lives.”
Members of the Sport Portfolio Para Reference Panel include:
- Michael Dobbie-Bridges PLY is a celebrated Paralympian in wheelchair tennis and three-time All Australian wheelchair AFL athlete. Beyond sports, Michael has been involved in governance and advocacy, previously chairing Sporting Wheelies, serving on boards such as Disability Employment Australia and now as a director at Create Advisory.
- Ella Sabiljak PLY is a dual Paralympian in wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby. She is also a qualified primary school teacher and serves as Paralympics Australia’s Education Officer, in addition to being elected to their Athlete Commission. Ella is a vocal advocate for inclusivity, focusing on lasting equity in sporting opportunity.
- Dane Cross is an experienced access consultant, advocate and Chief Operating Officer at Sporting Wheelies, a key organisation promoting sport, recreation, and rehabilitation for people with disabilities. Dane has been appointed to the Australian Sports Commission’s Disability Sport Advisory group, as part of the national Play Well Strategy.
- Emma Beckman is an academic at the University of Queensland (UQ), holding a master’s in Adapted Physical Activity and a PhD in strength assessment for classification in Para Sport. Emma is an internationally accredited classifier in Para Athletics and the Para Sport High Performance Manager at the Queensland Academy of Sport.
- Torita Blake PLY is a two-time Paralympic track athlete, ambassador for the Raise the Bar Academy, which supports Indigenous students through athletics, and a member of Paralympics Australia’s First Nations Advisory Group.
- Jen Rees is an operations manager and community development coordinator based in Cairns with experience delivering programs to enhance community wellbeing and inclusion, including the establishment of wheelchair tennis in North Queensland. Jen is passionate about fostering a love of sport for people of all abilities.
