Advisory group

Bowzer is deeply committed to creating meaningful lived experience opportunities that drive systemic reform. In addition to their work for STILS, Bowzer is a Trainer for National Legal Aid’s With You Project, and is Co-Chair of the Transgender and Gender Diverse Criminal Justice System Advisory Council. Bowzer’s lived experience has been the primary driver of their career of over 12 years across peer, coordination and leadership roles in the community services and advocacy sectors. They are passionate about the bridging the gap between lived experience expertise, community services knowledge, and academic research. Connect with Bowzer.

Ksena is proudly half Tongan and half Aussie, and walks through life with autism, not as a burden, but as a source of strength, deep feeling, and fierce resilience. She is a devoted Mum to her amazing son, who is also autistic and fills her world with purpose and love. Ksena is passionate about educating people about autism, breaking stereotypes, and helping others see the beauty, depth, and power in neurodiversity. As an Educator with the Intellectual Disability Rights Service, she co-facilitates programs empowering young people with disability to learn about their rights.

My son and I have survived challenges that no family should face, including being failed by the child protection system. But instead of letting it break us, it built something stronger inside me: compassion, courage, and a fire to advocate not just for us, but for others walking similar paths.

Hani Abdile is a Somali-born spoken-word artist and cultural activist whose words resonate with raw emotion and social consciousness. Abdile uses her art to advocate for social justice and empowerment, particularly within migrant and refugee communities. Check out Hani’s first book of 43 poems, I Will Rise.

Hani has performed her work around Gadigal country (Sydney) and throughout Australia. Hani is an honorary member of PEN International, a lead member of Writing Through Fences, and an Ambassador for the Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS). Hani’s work has appeared in ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald, Shark Island Productions, and she has received many awards for her community work and creative art.

Lived experience is important in research because it provides firsthand insight into the real-world effects of policies, practices, or interventions. It helps researchers understand the actual impact on individuals and communities […] and can lead to more effective and inclusive solutions that truly meet people’s needs.

Iftikhar Hussain holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Sociology and currently works as a Paralegal at R.A Lawyers & Migration. Motivated by his own experience seeking asylum, Iftikhar is a dedicated advocate for communities with lived experience, working to highlight the challenges faced by asylum seekers. Iftikhar’s passion lies in driving meaningful change in policy and practice and contributing to the creation of inclusive systems where every voice is heard and valued.

Rocket Bretherton is a proud Noongar woman, nationally recognised speaker and advocate whose lived experience has become a powerful force for justice reform. Once told by a judge that there was no hope for rehabilitation, Rocket has defied every expectation – transforming a life once marked by incarceration and addiction into one of purpose, leadership and impact. Rocket is currently the Northern Territory Campaign and Advocate Coordinator for the Justice Reform Initiative and a Co-facilitator for the With You Project. She has previously delivered trauma informed mental health and Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) programs across the Northern Territory with the NT Lived Experience Network. Listen to Rocket’s episode of Birds Eye View, recorded from inside Darwin Correctional Centre, and get ready for her chapter of She Is Me, launching in March 2026.

I bring a unique blend of experience working in both law and social work, with a strong commitment to supporting people through complex challenges. My background in the legal field has equipped me with a deep understanding of rights, advocacy, and navigating systems, my education and work thus far has harnessed my passion and strengthened my focus on empathy, empowerment, and holistic care for all.

I worked on the co-design of the ‘With You Trauma-Informed Organisational Toolkit’. I am currently working with the team as a research assistant and lived experience consumer evaluator on the IMHA/MHLRS Evaluation. Whether I am advocating for fair outcomes, supporting wellbeing, or helping people navigate services, my goal is always to champion dignity, justice, and inclusion.

Taylor Budin is a First Nations person who draws on their lived experience of Autism, FASD and contact with the criminal justice system to promote the rights of people with disability in and out of prison. Taylor works with the Intellectual Disability Rights Service to train lawyers, justice advocates, corrections officers and police on how to better support and communicate with people with a cognitive disability. In 2025, at the Justice Reform Initiative’s 18th Reintegration Puzzle Conference, Taylor delivered a workshop on culturally valid assessments and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). To hear Taylor’s advocacy in action, check out the Justice Advocacy Service episode of Legal Aid NSW’s Criminal Law Division podcast.

TJ is a mental health consumer academic and research assistant at the La Trobe University School of Social Work and Social Policy, and the La Trobe University Law School. They have experience in research, lived and living experience disability and mental health advocacy, policy, youth work, housing and homelessness, and alcohol and other drugs. TJ is also a Masters qualified social worker with additional qualifications in Addictive Behaviours and Training and Assessment. TJ’s work is deeply rooted in peer, lived and living experience values and the mental health consumer movement in Victoria, Australia.