Trustees

The Trustees exercise a range of authorities, including the appointment and evaluation of Governing Board members and ensuring that our ministry remains faithful to its role within the Catholic Church.

The Trustees meet 11 times a year.

Our Trustees

Hon Neville Owen AO – LLB (Hons), LLD (Hon) 

Trustee Chair since 1 January 2022.

Trustee since January 2020.

• Legal experience spanning more than 50 years, including almost 20 years as a judge of the WA Supreme Court.
• Extensive corporate governance experience as judge and as a Royal Commissioner reviewing the collapse of the HIH Insurance group and more recently into failings of Crown Casino Perth.
• Current member of Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors appointed by Pope Francis in 2018. In recent years he has been a member of the Australian Catholic Bishops Commission’s Implementation Advisory Group, Chair of the Church’s Governance Review Project and Chair of the Australian Catholic Bishops Commission’s Truth Justice and Healing Council.
• Former Trustee and Chancellor of University of Notre Dame Australia and Chair of boards of several independent Catholic schools.
• Association of Ministerial PJPs Member Representative of Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd.
• Member of the Board of Governors of University of Notre Dame Australia.
• Adjunct Professor at University of Notre Dame Australia and University of Western Australia.

Rev Dr Joseph Parkinson – STL PhD

Deputy Chairman since January 2014

Trustee since October 2009

• Ordained for the Archdiocese of Perth in 1981.
• Postgraduate in Moral Theology from the Alphonsian Academy in Rome (STL) and University of Notre Dame, Australia (PhD).
• Director of bioethicsperth since 2003.
• Concurrent appointments: Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Philosophy and Theology, University of Notre Dame Australia (Fremantle Campus); Catholic Health Australia Writing Group, Code of Ethical Standards for Catholic Health, Aged and Community Care in Australia (Second edition).
• Awarded Catholic Health Australia’s Sr Maria Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award 2021.

Frank Cooper AO – B.Com (UWA)

Trustee since January 2015

• Extensive business experience spanning more than 30 years and an outstanding record of community service.
• Current Director of South 32 Limited.
• Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
• Awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2014 and West Australian of the Year – Professions category in 2015.
• Director of Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd.

Danielle Cronin – BEcon, MPPP, CF, MAICD, MACEL

Trustee since January 2018

• Extensive senior leadership experience in Catholic education at state and national level, including extended terms on the NSW and National Catholic Education Commissions.
• Member of the Australian Catholic Council for Pastoral Research and former member of the Australian Catholic Bishops Commission’s Implementation Advisory Group.
• Current Director of Jesuit Education Australia and Member/Trustee of Good Samaritan Education.
• Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Australian Council of Educational Leadership.
• Australian Churchill Trust Fellow.

Celia Hammond – LLM, BJuris (Hons) LLB, GAICD

Trustee since January 2023

• Served as MP for the Federal Electorate of Curtin in Western Australia from 2019 to 2022.
• Originally appointed as a St John of God Health Care Trustee in 2018 but resigned in 2019 following her election to the House of Representatives.
• Previously Vice Chancellor of University of Notre Dame (2008 to 2019), and was one of five foundation academic staff members in the university’s School of Law.
• More than 20 years’ experience as a legal practitioner and legal lecturer at University of Western Australia and University of Notre Dame.
• Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from University of Portland in 2016 and a Fellowship from St Catherine’s College (UWA) in 2010.
• Director of Catholic Education Commission (WA) and Bethanie Aged Care Group, and a practising solicitor.

Francis Moore – KCSG, LLB and BComm (Melb)

Trustee since July 2023

• Made Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Gregory by the Holy See in 2017.
• Extensive experience in Catholic governance.
• Chair and Director of CDPF Limited, established by The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference to oversee Catholic Development Funds.
• Chair of Child Safety Audit and Risk Committee and Director of Catholic Education Sandhurst Limited.
• Non-executive director for large Catholic organisations across health, aged care and education.
• Member, Australian Catholic University, Victorian Chapter of Australian Catholic University, Newman College Finance Committee and Sisters of St Joseph Finance Committee.

Mark Murphy – LLB (UWA), BJuris (UWA), FLWA