Lived Experience Advisory Committee

Anna is a retired businesswoman, former pokies addict and ‘accidental’ advocate. She is committed to changing the conversation about gambling harm in Australia by elevating the voices of people with lived experience. Anna is a contributor to the book From ruin to recovery: gamblers share their stories, a participant in the Three Sides of the Coin project, which uses theatre as a conduit for change, and a community educator with ReSPIN.

A writer, performer, singer and speaker, Anna is skilled in coaching, entrepreneurship, strategic planning, proofreading and marketing strategy, with a strong background in media and communication. Read Anna's personal story of gambling harm: The accidental advocate

Nicholas Bloom is a mental health professional working across the gambling harm, mental ill-health and suicide prevention fields.

Nicholas worked in the sports betting industry until the devastating suicide of a close friend motivated him to shift from a misaligned and unfulfilling career to dedicate himself to activities that he truly cares about and believes in.

Off the back of seeing the harm gambling can cause individuals and their communities, Nicholas is passionate about empowering people to seek out help and sustainably support themselves. 

Lynda migrated to Australia from Canada more than 50 years ago and made a life for herself running her own business as a chef for 30 years, before taking on the executive director role at a charitable organisation. Now retired, Lynda volunteers in her local opportunity shop and enjoys spending time with her children and seven grandchildren. Read Lynda's personal story of gambling harm: In search of a fresh start

After migrating to Australia 10 years ago, Chandana decided to shift her career path from IT to community health and has not looked back. Chandana has volunteered and worked in gambling harm prevention for seven years, and has experience in the migrant, family violence, mental health and aged care sectors. Read Chandana's personal story of gambling harm: A new start in Australia quickly turned into a nightmare when gambling became involved

Shayne is a proud Taungurung man and family man. He is the Housing Project Manager for an Aboriginal organisation, overseeing the building of social housing for local Aboriginal people.

Shayne developed and hosted the podcast series Not a Dollar More, using storytelling to shine a light on people’s experiences of gambling harm. It has had over 25,000 listens. He continues to share his ideas with the Lived Experience Advisory Committee to achieve better outcomes for people with a lived experience of gambling harm. Read Shayne’s personal story of gambling harm: Streaming gambling recovery. 

Fred Rubinstein is a dedicated childhood educator and soccer coach, and is currently completing a Bachelor of Primary and Secondary Inclusive Education at Monash University. He is passionate about building understanding in the community about gambling addiction to try and prevent people from experiencing harm.