Questacon > Q Info > Organisational Structure

Questacon

The Organisation

Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre is a part of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR ).

The Review of Activities for 2006-07 is available for download (62 page pdf, 4.6 MB) or by post on request: contact info@questacon.edu.au or call 02 6270 2800.

Organisational Structure

Questacon has an Advisory Council that is charged with the responsibility of assisting in setting strategic directions and guiding the organisation’s development. Internally, the Centre is headed up by the Executive and under this there are ten functional units, each with an Executive Level 2 (EL2) line manager. Each of the functional units consists of a number of individuals and/or teams. The Executive is supported by the EL2 managers and together they form the Questacon Management Team.

The Council

The Questacon Council was appointed in January 1997 to take over from the previous Interim Council.

The Questacon Advisory Council consists of a Chairman, and seven other members. It also includes the Director of Questacon in an ex officio capacity.

The Council provides Questacon with strategic advice and acts as a link between Questacon and key constituencies including the scientific, educational and business communities. As Questacon is part of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, the Council is not an executive body and carries no legal responsibility for the policies or operations of Questacon.

Members of the Council

The Council Members are:

Mr Leon Kempler OAM (Chairman)
Chairman, Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce (Vic)
Associate Professor Tracey Bunda
Director – Yunggorendi First Nations Centre for Education & Research, Flinders University (SA)
Mr Antony Cohen
Board Member & Head of Mergers & Acquisitions, KPMG (Vic)
Prof Graham Durant (Executive Member)
Director, Questacon — The National Science and Technology Centre (ACT)
Dr Catherine Foley
Theme Leader, CSIRO Industrial Physics (NSW)
Professor Denis Goodrum
Head – School of Education and Community Studies, University of Canberra (ACT)
Ms Lynda O'Grady
former Managing Director, Convergent Solutions & Sales, Telstra (NSW)
Mr John Simpson
Group General Manager, Corporate Affairs, National Australia Bank (Vic)
Ms Mary-Anne Waldren
Executive Director, Australian Science Festival Limited (ACT)

Function of Council

The Council meets quarterly and brings together people with significant experience in the broader business and science communities to assist Questacon in delivering its mission and objectives. Council is involved in:

strategic planning for the organisation’s programs, activities and management, including financial planning;
seeking private and public sector support for new exhibitions and programs; and
general overview of Questacon’s programs, activities and resource issues.

Questacon Executive

The Questacon Executive is made up of the Director and two General Managers. The Director has overall responsibility for the Centre. The General Manager - Centre Operations has responsibility for corporate and operational functions. The General Manager - Development is responsible for shaping our visitor’s experience, for external advocacy and the expansion project.

The Executive and their respective line managers are:

Director Graham Durant

General Manager - Centre Operations Lorraine Neish

Manager, Visitor Experience, Marketing + Media & Commercial Operations Steven Vogt

Manager, Finance, Contract Services Information & People Services Natalie Watson

Manager, Facilities Tracey Walters

General Manager - Development Graham Smith (a/g)

Manager, Education & Strategic Communications Brenton Honeyman

Manager, Questacon Research and Development Stuart Kohlhagen

Manager, Questacon Exhibition Services Operations Craig Whelan

Manager, Outreach Programs Allen Rooney (a/g)

Questacon e-mail addresses are structured in the same way, with the first initial followed by surname. For example, Fred Smith’s e-mail address would be ‘fsmith@questacon.edu.au’.