Dr Lynne Bury is a passionate literacy educator who teaches in the School of Education at RMIT University. Lynne has over 40 years of experience in Victorian education, spanning primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Lynne’s work focuses on the teaching and learning of literacies in both the primary and the middle years of schooling. Lynne has been a member of ALEA for over 40 years and was awarded the ALEA Medal in 2019.

Robyn is currently Professor of Literacy Education and Program Director BEd (Primary), at the University of Tasmania. Robyn is an ALEA Fellow and a life member of PETAA. Robyn has also held positions in Literacy Education at five Australian Universities and three overseas universities. Robyn has written and edited 6 books in the field of Literacy Education with a particular focus on the preparation of teachers for the teaching of early reading. She is the author of international journal articles in the field of literacy research and has been involved in teacher education for over a 30-year period. Robyn is well known for her commitment to the development of a strong professional knowledge base in initial teacher education and remains dedicated to bringing accessible educational research and theory to teacher education students and teachers in schools. Robyn has recently been appointed to expert panels and advisory groups supporting the Australian Government's on-going work in strengthening the teaching of early reading in schools. She has been appointed as an expert for English curriculum development in other Australian states.

DIANE HANSFORD is a lecturer in English, literacies and language education, working in teacher education within the School of Education (Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education) at the University of New England (UNE), Armidale. Diane is an experienced teacher, having worked in primary schools, universities and in professional development for teachers. Her areas of expertise include primary English, literacy and EAL/D teaching and she has an interest in digital technology and learning.

Dr Susan Rook is a senior lecturer in primary literacy at RMIT University. Susan’s PhD research covered how inference is taught in primary schools, focusing on the importance of text selection and how process drama can help children engage in the reading process. Susan’s work involves working closely with partner schools to implement creative pedagogies. She is interested in giving students agency over both their response to texts and in their writing choices.

Associate Professor Naomi Wilks-Smith is from School of Education, RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. With an extensive career as an educator, she is particularly passionate about language education, embracing learners’ languages, and linguistic and culturally inclusive practices. Naomi’s work involves the integrated scholarship of research and education practice and often includes industry partners in schools as well as cross-School, external and international collaborations. Naomi strives for educational impact through research translation and research value creation and has been awarded grants for her work.