Meet the Team

Daniel Tucker AM founded Carey in 1995 and remains the sole owner and Managing Director. Daniel has over 28 years’ experience in the mining industry having held executive roles in both ASX listed public companies and other private companies.

As an inaugural appointee to the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advisory Council, Daniel is a highly respected and successful Aboriginal leader and businessman.

Daniel has won numerous Industry and Government awards including:

• Commonwealth Department of Employment and Workplace Relations - Outstanding Manager Award in the 2003 [Corporate Leaders for Indigenous Employment Awards]
• Ethnic Business Awards 2010 - Winner Indigenous in Business Category
• Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 Service Category, Western Region
• Ethnic Business Awards 2013, Champion of Champions, Indigenous in Business

Other notable positions Daniel has previously and/or currently holds include:

• Inaugural Member of Prime Ministers Indigenous Advisory Council under the Abbott Federal Government
• Board Member of the Commonwealth Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC)
• Founder and Chairman of the Carey Education Trust

He has previously served on the Council of Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia and on the boards of a number of private and publicly Australian Stock Exchange listed companies.

Daniel has also been an active member of numerous community-based organisations.

Daniel was appointed Member of the Order of Australia in 2020 for significant service to the mining and indigenous community.

Brigitte Colbert is an experienced writer and editor with a strong background in transforming complex information into clear, accessible communication. Her work across corporate and community settings has strengthened her commitment to clarity, accuracy, and supporting informed, safe communities. Brigitte has a BA in Professional Writing and Publishing, a BCom in Accounting, as well as an educational background in Applied Geology and Earth Sciences. Brigitte currently works as Chairman Daniel Tucker AM's Executive Assistant and Carey's Communications Officer.

As Secretary of the Board for WACSS, Brigitte brings her organisational strengths and communication expertise to the heart of the organisation’s governance. She is dedicated to ensuring that board processes are transparent, well‑documented, and aligned with the organisation’s mission.

Brigitte’s blend of communication skill, technical diversity and community‑mindedness makes her a valued contributor to the leadership and ongoing impact of WA Child Safety Services.

Throughout Julie’s 30-year career she been committed to serving the community, with an extensive background in policing, followed by leadership roles in the WA not-for-profit sector.

Julie started her Protective Behaviours journey with the WA Police in 1996, as a School-based Police Officer. Serving for 23 years, Julie specialised in community policing, child protection, domestic violence and working in the ANCOR (Australian National Child Offender Register) unit, interviewing perpetrators of sexual offences. This direct work with offenders enabled Julie to translate her learnings to educate and empower parents to teach their children age-appropriate protective behaviours.

Julie originally joined Protective Behaviours WA in 2004, and over 12 years was responsible for delivering hundreds of workshops to a diverse audience of teachers, parents and professionals, in both classroom settings and one-to-one sessions. Julie was proud to take the Protective Behaviours WA education to remote communities, travelling extensively throughout the State, including remote communities in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands and Kulumbara, as part of a joint WA Police and DPC operation.

Julie was appointed CEO of WA Child Safety Services in September 2023, bringing a wealth of experience as well as a strong operational and governance background.

Prior to WA Child Safety Services, Julie was part of the Executive Team at PCYC, one of WA’s leading youth organisations, before moving to The Smith Family as a Senior Leader.

On her appointment, Julie commented, "I’m extremely excited and proud to be returning to my roots of Protective Behaviours. I’m committed to building a sustainable organisation that educates and empowers young people and adults to prevent child abuse in WA."

Shradha is a dedicated public health professional with a master’s in public health and extensive experience in clinical and community settings. She joined WACSS as an Operations Support Officer, where she coordinates services that support children, families and professionals across Western Australia.

Shradha ensures the operational backbone of WACSS runs effectively, enabling frontline trainers to deliver vital support to children and families. She does this by executing day-to-day operations – managing logistics, streamlining internal systems and coordinating communication between trainers, clients and staff.

Moreover, with a keen passion for early intervention and prevention strategies in the child abuse space, Shradha has strengthened WACSS’s commitment and alignment to child safety.

Sam is a qualified Early Childhood Educator with over 20 years’ experience working with children, 15 of which she spent working in the South West region of WA.

Sam has been working with the Protective Behaviours program since 2016 when she began facilitating parent workshops and embedding the program into her work at a community-based early learning centre.

Her extensive experience working with children in their early years and seeing the impact of child sexual abuse on people close to her has driven her passion for instilling core Protective Behaviours messages in children from early childhood.

Sam has a strong commitment to supporting professionals, particularly Early Childhood Educators, and parents to feel confident to teach Protective Behaviours to children in developmentally appropriate, fun and interactive ways, so they receive consistent messages between the care environment and home environment.

Sam is currently studying a Bachelor of Social Work and coordinates WA Child Safety Services’ training programs across the state.

Julie has worked as a social worker with children and young people, in a variety of settings, for over 20 years.

Julie has extensive experience working therapeutically with children and young people who have experienced trauma, in both the education and not for profit sectors. Within her work with children and families, Julie has delivered protective behaviours education individually, in group settings and in training workshops for parents and professionals.

Julie is dedicated to advocating for children’s wellbeing and has a passion for sharing the vital message of protective behaviours with the community.

Julie is currently both a trainer and also our dynamic Online Bookshop Coordinator.

Justine is a qualified Teacher and Accredited Social Worker with over 30 years’ experience working in the education and statutory child protection sectors. Justine is one of Western Australia’s pioneers in Protective Behaviours and has taught prevention education to children, young people, parents and professionals locally, interstate and internationally across two decades. Justine is the author of ‘Jasmine’s Butterflies’ and ‘Michael’s Bubbles’, two popular abuse prevention storybooks. She has been the editor of a number of abuse prevention resources, including Protective Behaviours Primary School lesson plans for the Department of Education (‘Holding Hands’), and co-author of WA Child Safety Services Protective Behaviours Primary School Curriculum. Justine has specific expertise in Child Protection and Mandatory Reporting legislation and practice across schools.

Genevieve is a survivor of child sexual abuse and has a rich insight into trauma-related issues affecting children and adults. Her extensive experience working in child protection, drug and alcohol counselling and the mental health sector together with her personal experience places her in a unique position to empower children, parents and educators to adopt the protective behaviours philosophy. Genevieve has spent extended periods working in remote Indigenous communities, teaching Protective Behaviours to children, youth, teachers, parents and community groups. Genevieve believes that education is the most powerful tool to prevent child sexual abuse. Genevieve has a strong belief in building the knowledge and capacity of teachers to integrate the protective behaviours program in their curriculum. Read more of Genevieve’s story here.

Diane’s mission is to educate and inspire children, young people and adults, believing that education is the first step towards empowerment and prevention. With a rich background as a child protection worker, lecturer, registered teacher and group facilitator specialising in working with perpetrators of violence, she has accumulated over a decade of invaluable experience, both in Scotland and Australia.

Her journey, encompassing both personal and professional dimensions, fuels her commitment to effecting positive change, with a particular emphasis on abuse prevention education. Diane's dedication extends to her role as an accomplished Protective Behaviours trainer, where her passion finds expression in the pursuit of preventing abuse within our community. Through her diverse experiences and expertise, Diane remains steadfast in her pursuit of a safer and more informed society.

Melinda (Mel) is passionate about advocating for and supporting the rights and wellbeing of all children and young people so they can reach their full potential in life. Mel is a qualified Early Childhood and Primary School Teacher with 20 years’ experience working with children in both schools and early learning settings. She has significant experience teaching prevention education to children ages 3 to 12. Mel became a Child Safety Trainer to assist others to support and advocate for children’s rights in their day-to-day practice and interactions. She supports schools and early learning centres to implement a prevention education program through fun, engaging and age-appropriate activities. Mel believes in empowering parents and families to support their children to stay safe and develop positive relationships in today’s world and facilitates workshops for parents and community groups.

Jye is a Gureng/Kanaka man originally from Queensland and has been on Noongar Boodja for almost seven years. At the age of 19 he started his youth work career in Katherine in the Northern Territory and has since worked in a range of roles in both youth work and health promotion in Western Australia. Jye has a background in sexual health education and is passionate about promoting respectful relationships with young people. Jye’s work with WA Child Safety Services includes facilitating groups and presenting the Teen Talk program.

With a career in crisis management, leading the coordination of a range of projects in regional and remote communities, Bernadette has worked in partnership with not-for-profit organisations, local government, state agencies and Traditional Owners to foster collaborative locally led initiatives which support long term social outcomes for individuals, groups and communities.

Bernadette was a career police officer for more than 30 years and served in both metropolitan and regional areas holding a senior leadership role in the Western Australia Police Force. Bernadette has a long history in child safety education, first becoming a protective behaviours trainer in the late 1990’s, delivering the ‘Right to Feel Safe’ project throughout the Kimberley region of Western Australia in the early 2000’s and later embedding protective behaviours strategies into child interview practices and training development.

As a member of the WA multiagency mandatory reporting working group, she delivered information to organisations and individuals during the inception of mandatory reporting legislation into Western Australia. As an experienced trainer, Bernadette’s trauma informed approach to engaging with at higher risk people (children and vulnerable adults) during times of extreme stress, contributed to her successful role in the development, and implementation of specialist child and vulnerable adult interview training for police and child protection workers, which was delivered in partnership with Deakin University.

In 2016 Bernadette was awarded an Australia Police Medal in acknowledgment of her work and commitment to trauma informed interviewing practices in the response to crimes against children and vulnerable people.

Chloe has worked in the community services sector for the last 20 years in both youth and mental health services.

Chloe has extensive experience in the area of family and domestic violence having worked in roles such as child advocacy, women’s refuge support and facilitating FDV primary prevention workshops. Chloe currently works in a specialised family domestic violence service supporting women and children therapeutically.

As a Social Worker, Chloe has a passion for advocacy and community change to promote equality and safety for women and children.

Stacey brings extensive experience across child protection, family support, and homelessness sectors, working within complex, partnership-driven service systems. She is highly skilled in trauma-informed, strengths-based, and client-centred practice, with strong leadership in service development, workforce capability, and collaborative approaches. Her previous roles include Assessment Officer with the NSW Department of Education, Crisis Accommodation Residential Service Manager, and Intensive Support Child and Family Case Manager with the Department of Justice. Stacey is passionate about partnering with communities to deliver safe, inclusive, and effective services that support children and families to thrive.