The NSW Regional Health Partners Consumer Advisory Committee comprises community members from across our region who reflect diverse consumer perspectives of lived experience with health conditions and/or the use of health services.
Our committee provides a consumer perspective to ensure meaningful and appropriate consumer and community involvement in NSW Regional
Health Partners-funded activities and initiatives. We work together to strengthen the diversity of community and consumer perspectives contributing to the quality and relevance of health research, to support improved healthcare and health outcomes for our region.
Meet the 2026 Consumer Advisory Committee
I have an interest in health service and making sure that people of all ages receive the health help that they need to make their live better or bearable.
I have worked in the Mining and Timber Industries for a number of years, then worked in the Reinforcing Steel Industry for 29 years before moving to the family farm in Northern NSW in 2016.
I am the Former Mayor of Glen Innes Severn Council and currently hold a number of local and state Committee positions for health, sport, community and fire management services
Belinda is deeply committed to the wellbeing of rural and regional communities. Having lived in the New England region for most of her life, she considers it central to her identity and sense of belonging. Her lived experience as a health consumer – combined with the intergenerational experiences of her family and community – shapes her understanding of the NSW health system. Driven to champion the needs and voices of country people, she is passionate about how consumers engage with health services and advocates for respectful, inclusive, and genuinely country‑centric research and service design. Last, Belinda is an academic with a strong focus on rural and regional research.
Originally from the UK, I moved to Australia in 2003. A Radiation Therapist by profession with 30+ years’ experience in Radiation Oncology across Clinical, Research and Managerial roles, my primary focus has always been patient safety, Quality and Clinical research.
We moved to live in the NSW Mid North Coast in 2012, where I have also managed 2 local Blood Donor Centers. I now hold an administrative role with my local GP Practice and am a Consumer representative on two committee’s at my local hospital.
I bring lived experience of regional healthcare as both a patient and from helping my husband navigate two life-changing diagnoses. I am a passionate advocate that timely access to research-based healthcare provision shouldn’t be limited by geographical location.
I am a practising registered nurse and paramedic living in the small rural town of Barraba, NSW. Having grown up on the NSW south coast and worked across metropolitan, regional and rural areas of the state, I have witnessed first-hand how access to services can vary significantly depending on location.
As a consumer I’ve experienced these access gaps personally, including limited access to acute radiography and reliance on remote telehealth for prescriptions and specialist consultations.
My clinical background spans nursing, paramedicine and NDIS support work, giving me broad exposure to community-based and government-funded care. I am currently studying a Master of Critical Care Paramedicine, and outside of work I enjoy recreational fitness and running events. I look forward to contributing a grounded, dual perspective to the committee.
Peter Harris is an educational leader in New South Wales, specialising in Personal Development, Health and Physical Education and the intersection of education, health, and wellbeing. He has worked across multiple rural settings and internationally, bringing a broad perspective to the design and delivery of programs that embed health literacy, risk awareness, and real-world decision-making into school practice, in collaboration with health professionals, emergency services, and community organisations.
Following a near-fatal motorcycle accident, Pete brings lived experience to his work in trauma, recovery, and mental health. He has also authored a book reflecting on the recovery process, aimed at supporting patients and families navigating life-changing events.
Pete is committed to strengthening school–community partnerships and using education as a platform to improve long-term health outcomes, resilience, and wellbeing across the broader community.
Based in Orange in regional NSW, Emily Mitchell birthed her first baby in the health system in 2020 where she experienced a lack of information, respect and support new mums need, especially during birth and postpartum. She found that the focus of motherhood is usually only on the baby, but it’s the mother who also needs to be held. She believes that just because birth is common, lack of support and understanding shouldn’t be.
A keen motherhood advocate, Emily has partnered with government to create resources and programs for new mums to validate and support their introduction to motherhood. She has used her experiences to create positive change and is keen to extend that into the research space.
A business owner, Reiki practitioner and Mama Rising (matrescence) Facilitator, Emily works to remind mothers of their own power while also balancing her own role as mother to her two young children.
As a long-time resident of Dubbo and a consumer of health services, I am particularly aware of the challenges many face in accessing timely and appropriate healthcare. I am passionate about advocating for equitable access to health services for all, no matter where they live. My role as secretary of Dubbo Prostate Cancer Support Group gives me plenty of scope for this!
In particular, I look forward to exploring new, constructive and relevant pathways to empower all consumers of health services in regional New South Wales.
Raised on the Mid North Coast, I am a 33-year-old Registered Nurse working within the Mid Coast region and a Lecturer in Nursing at Charles Sturt University. As a mother of two, including one neurodivergent child, I bring both professional expertise and lived experience to my work. I am deeply passionate about regional healthcare, supporting the next generation of nurses, and advocating for inclusivity, low socioeconomic areas and compassionate care. My commitment to nursing is also shaped by personal experience caring for my grandparents, reinforcing my dedication to person-centred care across the lifespan.
I graduated with a BA Hons from UWA in 1970 and then gained an MA Hons and Dip.Ed from UNE and a PhD fromSydney University.
I worked at Sydney University, Mitchell College and Charles Sturt University, teaching history and politics and spending my final 6 years as the Head of the School of Social Science and
Liberal Studies.
Since my retirement in 2009 I have retained an adjunct position with the University. I am also a member of the Bathurst Health Council, the Bathurst Health Advocacy Network, the CSU Rural Health Research Institute Advisory Committee, and I work as a crisis supporter with LifeLine.
Eve West is a researcher and consumer working within a national initiative focused on integrating physical and mental health care, delivered through both Equally Well and the NHMRC. Her work includes producing the Equally Well Research Scan Report, drawing on survey-based data to inform evidence-based improvements in physical health outcomes for people living with mental illness and reporting to the state and federal government on mental health policy.
Living regionally in Orange, Eve brings both a professional and consumer perspective to her work, and values engagement with lived experience representatives and expert advisory panels. She is committed to ensuring health systems better serve rural and regional communities. Eve also has a career in regional medicine which offers a unique perspective.