Animal Welfare Committee

Professor Burne is a Group Leader and the Director of Higher Degree Research at the Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland. He is also a Professorial Research Fellow with the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research and has a background in behavioural neuroscience, with specific training and expertise in animal models.

Professor Burne has a PhD in neurophysiology and behaviour from the University of New England. He is an NHMRC-funded researcher whose projects focus on cognitive testing in rodent models of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, as well as psychopharmacological studies and research on clinical populations. His group is currently developing animal models related to risk factors for schizophrenia and autism.

Professor Burne has published widely in international peer-reviewed journals. He has extensive experience as a consultant and advisor to various funding panels and grant review panels, including participating in peer review for NHRMC as well as for overseas funding agencies. He is on the editorial board for PLoS One, and is a regular presenter at conferences on translation, animal models and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Professor Burne is a member of multiple committees and societies pertaining to animal use and neuroscience, including being a past president of Biological Psychiatry Australia and being the Queensland representative for the Australasian Neuroscience Society. He has previously served as a member of NHMRC’s Animal Welfare Committee and is an experienced Chair and member of several animal ethics committees.

Dr Alberthsen is the national Animal Ethics Manager for CSIRO where she supports the CSIRO research community to promote a positive compliance culture and ensures best-practice animal-based research activities. She has experience with animal ethics committee (AEC) governance, with the provision of advice to AECs, institutional compliance activities, the management of animal breeding and holding facilities, as an animal technician, and the use of animals in wildlife research.

Dr Alberthsen holds a PhD in animal welfare and epidemiology from the University of Queensland. She has presented and chaired panel sessions at ANZCCART conferences and published widely on methods used in wildlife research, including editing the book, Wildlife Research in Australia: Practical and Applied Methods, as well as being a reviewer for the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science.

For the past 21 years, Ms Bannerman has been the Animal Welfare Coordinator for the 3 school sectors in NSW: the NSW Department of Education, Catholic Schools NSW, and the Association of Independent Schools of NSW. In this role, she has administered the work of the Schools Animal Care and Ethics Committee (SACEC) to ensure compliance with the Animal Research Act and the Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes. This has entailed coordinating and completing over 450 visits to schools in NSW to monitor animal welfare and to support schools as a part of the responsibility of the SACEC.

Ms Bannerman routinely provides expert advice and support to schools and key stakeholders by maintaining the Animals in Schools website and a variety of communication channels. She is also involved in implementing key government and departmental priorities and reforms relating to curriculum and animal welfare issues.

Ms Bannerman has been the NSW Minister for Education’s nominee on the Animal Research Review Panel for the last 9 years, during which time she has participated in inspections of research institutions, discussions of initiatives related to animal welfare policy and legislation, accreditation processes and the development of advice for NSW research and teaching institutions.

She has also developed and delivered a range of innovative professional learning programs for teachers to assist them to remain up to date with animal welfare issues and solutions.

Ms Bannerman has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Sydney University and a Graduate Diploma in Education (science/agriculture).

Dr Cohen is a mixed practice veterinarian with experience as an academic and advisor to industry and government. She is completing her PhD project on ‘A framework for better animal welfare and the 3Rs industry’, and lectures in animal welfare, laboratory animal medicine, and bioethics at University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and La Trobe University. She works as a veterinary clinician and as an animal welfare consultant for state governments, industry, and non-governmental organisations.

Dr Cohen holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Science from the University of Edinburgh and a Master by Research Thesis in Veterinary Epidemiology and Population Health from the University of Melbourne. She is a Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law). Dr Cohen is a peer-reviewed published author in animal welfare, animal ethics, and the 3Rs, and presents regularly at conferences on a variety of related topics including animal welfare, the 3Rs, training, social license, and the veterinary industry. She initiated the Animal Welfare Officer Network in Victoria, is a prior recipient of the UNSW 3Rs grant award, and a key author in the revision of the NSW Animal Research Review Panel guidelines for animal housing, care, and rehoming.

Professor Double holds a PhD in neuroscience from Flinders University and the postdoctoral Habilitation degree from the University of Würzburg, Germany. As Professor of Neuroscience in the Faculty of Medicine and Health, at the University of Sydney, she leads the Neurodegeneration Research Group.

Professor Double is an NHMRC- and internationally funded researcher working at the interface between neuropathological (human tissue) research, animal-based research and quantitative neurochemistry. Her research aims to identify disease mechanisms in degenerative disorders of movement, including Parkinson’s disease, Motor Neuron disease and rare genetic degenerative disorders, and to develop more effective treatments for these disorders. Professor Double has published extensively, received numerous awards for her research and sits on various national and international boards and advisory groups in her areas of expertise.

Professor Double chairs an animal ethics committee, is a member of the Non-Animal Technologies Network in NSW and actively supports research into, and application of, the 3Rs in Australia.

Dr Errington is a veterinarian and Principal of EthiQualia where she provides consultancy services in animal ethics and welfare, including independent reviews and evaluations and education and training, to promote the welfare of animals used in research and teaching. She also has extensive experience with animal ethics compliance in government and industry, and as a veterinarian and animal welfare officer at biomedical research institutions.

At Animal Welfare Victoria, Dr Errington was involved in regulating the use of animals in research and teaching and governance of the Wildlife and Small Institutions Animal Ethics Committee. Dr Errington has also been a member of five animal ethics committees covering many types of animal use, including education and wildlife and biomedical research.

Dr Errington has a Bachelor of Veterinary Science, with honours, is a trained auditor and is currently undertaking a Master of Science in International Animal Welfare Ethics and Law through the University of Edinburgh. She is a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (Animal Welfare Chapter, and Medicine and Management of Laboratory Animals Chapter).

Dr Errington regularly presents at conferences about the practical implementation of the governing principles of the Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes.

Dr Fowler is the Chief Science Officer for RSPCA Australia where she leads the organisation’s Science and Policy team. She plays a key role in ensuring the RSPCA continues to improve the lives of animals by using animal welfare science to inform policies, positions and campaigns.

Dr Fowler is a veterinarian with extensive experience with animal welfare and ethics, policy development and animal facility management. She has been a member of the ACT Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and was previously employed as the Senior Veterinarian at the Australian National University, as the Head of Animal Services, and as Veterinarian at the Australian Phenomics Facility.

Dr Fowler holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery and a Bachelor of Science from Murdoch University. She is a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (Animal Welfare Chapter) and has previously served as a member of NHMRC’s Animal Welfare Committee.

Dr France is a veterinarian with a PhD in veterinary pathology from the University of Sydney. He is a consultant in laboratory animal care and management, and Project Officer with the Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART). He gained extensive experience in animal facility management while Director of Animal Services at UNSW Sydney and Director of Laboratory Animal Services at University of Sydney. Dr France is also a consultant to AAALAC International.

Dr France is currently a Category A (veterinarian) member of an animal ethics committee and has extensive experience as a chair and member of AECs. He has been a board member of ANZCCART and was made a Life Member of the Australian and New Zealand Laboratory Animal Association after having served as President, Secretary and Registrar. He is also a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (Pathobiology Chapter).

Dr France has published many peer-reviewed journal articles in the fields of laboratory animal pathology, biomedical research and clinical case reports, non-lab species, and is a current reviewer for the journal Laboratory Animals. He is a regular presenter at conferences and was the 2025 convenor of the ANZCCART conference organising committee.

Dr France has previously served as a member of NHMRC’s Animal Welfare Committee. 

Dr Neil has a PhD in philosophy from Monash University and is a Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy Program, at the University of Wollongong, specialising in bioethics. He has extensive experience as a Deputy Chair and a member of an animal ethics committee, during which time, he reviewed hundreds of animal ethics research applications, conducted inspections of facilities, audits, developed policies and provided training for researchers.

Dr Neil’s experience of working with animal ethics committees and as a Research Integrity Advisor for his faculty, in combination with his expertise in ethical theory, have given him a particular interest in how ethical codes are operationalised. In addition, he has recently led a project to develop a series of research integrity training models for new researcher induction. Dr Neil has published widely in different fields of applied ethics.

Ms Oogjes is Chief Executive Officer of Animals Australia and is regarded as one of the most experienced animal welfare advocates in Australia. She has worked to place animal welfare on community and government agendas for the last 4 decades and has been instrumental in developing some of Australia’s current animal protection laws.

Ms Oogjes has a Bachelor of Behavioural Sciences from La Trobe University and a Diploma of Business (Governance) from Chisholm Institute/ Institute of Community Directors Australia.

Ms Oogjes is a founding and current Board member of the World Federation for Animals (WFA) which provides representations to the United Nations and is involved with state and national animal welfare advisory bodies and reforms. She has contributed to numerous national reviews of Codes of Practice for animal welfare and animal welfare laws in each state and territory. She was one of the instigators of the (previous) Australian Animal Welfare Strategy and served as a member of the Australian Animal Welfare Advisory Committee overseeing the Strategy. She has also worked to achieve greater protection for animals through representation on various government committees including the Australian National Consultative Committee on Animal Welfare (advising Federal and State Agriculture Ministers) and the Victorian and Tasmanian Animal Welfare Advisory Committees. Internationally, in addition to her WFA Board membership, Ms Oogjes represents Animals Australia on the International Coalition for Animal Welfare, which has advisory status to the World Animal Health Organisation.

Ms Oogjes has extensive experience as a Category C (animal welfare) member of animal ethics committees. She has also served as a member of the NHMRC Code Liaison Group during the review of previous editions of the Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes.

In 2024, Ms Oogjes was named Victorian Senior Australian of the Year for her work in animal advocacy. She is also an Honorary Life member of RSPCA Victoria and of the Humane Society for Animal Welfare.

Professor Pillow is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow, a University of Western Australia (UWA) Senior Principal Research Fellow, and an Honorary Research Fellow at The Kids Research Institute Australia. She is a clinician scientist whose translational research program spans preclinical and clinical domains.

Professor Pillow holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, from the University of Queensland, is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and has a PhD from the University of Western Australia. She founded and now directs The Preclinical Intensive Care Research Unit at UWA where they use the perinatal ovine lamb model to evaluate new and innovative approaches to preventing adverse outcomes in newborns.

Professor Pillow publishes widely in international peer-reviewed journals and is internationally recognised as one of the top 10 contemporary neonatal experts in neonatal respiratory physiology and ventilation.

Professor Pillow is also a member of the Executive of Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network, for which she is a past Chair of the BPD Subcommittee, and one of 29 core members of the Lancet Commission on the Future of Neonatology. She has been continuously funded by NHMRC/Australian Competitive Grants since 1997.

Mr Robertson has extensive experience as a Category D (community representative) member of animal ethics committees including as Deputy Chair. He also has extensive experience as a member of human research ethics committees.

In 2022, Mr Robertson was awarded the ANZCCART AEC Member of the Year award for his exceptional service to the University of Technology Sydney AEC and to the broader community.

Mr Robertson is a retired high school teacher. He has a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education from the University of Newcastle, and a Master of Education from the University of New England.

A/Professor Whittaker is Associate Dean Research Quality and academic at the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide. She is a laboratory animal veterinarian and is a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (Animal Welfare Chapter, and Medicine and Management of Laboratory Animals Chapter). A/Professor Whittaker is also a Diplomate of the European College of Animal Welfare and Behaviour Medicine, with European Veterinary Specialist training in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law and Laboratory Animal Science. Her experience in laboratory animal medicine encompasses a wide range of species and research institute types.

She holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Cambridge, a PhD from the University of Adelaide in animal welfare, a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the University of New England, a Master of Public Health from the University of Manchester and is currently studying for a Master of Artificial Intelligence at the University of New England.

She leads a research program focussed on development of methods for assessing animal welfare and severity of procedures in rodents, as well as leading the teaching of animal welfare, law and laboratory animal science to veterinary and animal science students. She has been involved in animal research ethics for 25 years, mainly in the roles of laboratory animal veterinarian and Category A (veterinarian) animal ethics committee member.

A/Professor Whittaker has published widely in peer reviewed international journals in the fields of neuroscience and veterinary sciences. She has previously served as a member of NHMRC’s Animal Welfare Committee.