Our Team
Venéy Hiller
Chief Executive Officer
Veney Hiller:
Venéy Hiller the CEO of Palliative Care Tasmania, is deeply passionate about the sector and has a genuine desire to improve the quality of life for all Tasmanians facing life-limiting illnesses and the workforce that supports them.
Having worked in the sector for several years, Venéy has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of palliative care. It has also provided her with invaluable insights into the challenges faced by individuals, families, and healthcare professionals in navigating the complexities of end-of-life care. This fuels her commitment to advocating for policies and resources that ensure equitable access to high-quality palliative care services for all Tasmanians, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Veney’s passion for the sector is also driven by her belief in the power of community and connection. She recognises that palliative care is not just about medical interventions but also about building a supportive network that surrounds people and their loved ones. She strives to foster collaboration among healthcare providers, community organisations, and volunteers to create a comprehensive and compassionate network of care.
Outside of her professional world, Venéy lives in Hobart with her family. She is happily married and has two children, aged 12 and 14 and their beloved Labrador Minty. On the weekends you will find Veney on the sidelines of her children’s soccer, football or basketball games, cold water ocean swimming at Kington beach with her swimming group ‘The Salty Margarita’s” or exploring Tassie art, music and food with her husband and friends.
As the new CEO of Palliative Care Tasmania, Venéy is driven by her vision to drive positive change. Leveraging her extensive experience, values, and leadership skills, she is committed to making a lasting impact on the community she serves and ensuring that every Tasmanian facing life-limiting illness receives the care and support they deserve.
Hannah Butler
Manager – Sector & Community Engagement
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Hannah Butler:
Hannah Butler is a highly skilled Registered Nurse with over 12 years’ experience in the aged care, community and acute sector. Hannah’s natural desire to lead others has seen her manage and coordinate many teams to achieve quality performance and deliver a high standard of nursing care. Her most recent achievement was managing a busy Palliative Care and Day Oncology Unit, giving her great insight into the needs of the Tasmanian community and the palliative care sector.
Hannah is passionate about building connections and supporting people to live and die well with a strong interest in education. Hannah is excited to join the PCT team and continue supporting the community whilst advocating for sector development to deliver quality palliative care to all. Hannah’s love for Tasmania and its beautiful scenery often means she is making the most of her days off bushwalking and exploring with her young family.
Bradley McGill
Manager – Business & Development
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Bradley
Bradley started his career at one of Australia’s largest professional services firms and has spent the past 5 years in various business development roles. He is an experienced business analyst, with a demonstrated history in solving complex organisational issues, providing long term solutions, and significant returns on investment. His extensive skill set allows him to reduce wastage and develop lasting solutions that are focused on current requirements and future growth.
Bradley has recently joined our team at PCT and is excited for the opportunity to apply his skills to the palliative care sector. He is passionate about improving the quality of life for all Tasmanians and looks forward to making an impact in our communities.
Rebecca Free
Manager Advocacy and Communications
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Rebecca
Rebecca joined the Palliative Care Tasmania team in August 2023 following several years in the in-home aged care sector, including recent roles as CEO of Meals on Wheels Tasmania, and Operations Manager at Community Transport Services Tasmania. Rebecca has a passion for supporting people to live and age well at home and within their local community, ensuring that all Tasmanians are able to access the highest quality of services available. With strong leadership skills and experience, she is passionate about ensuring that all people understand and realise the power of the palliative care community and the positives that can be brought to those with a life limiting condition.
Rebecca is a busy Mum of two children – a 15 year old daughter and 9 year old son – who keep her on her toes in her spare time. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, caravanning around the State when possible and enjoying the outdoors.
Ian Wallace
PalliHub Community Manager
Digital Platforms Advisor
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Ian Wallace:
Ian Joined the PCT team in August 2021 and is a highly skilled marketer and communicator with 18 years of experience. His communication and software skills, knowledge of design, and expertise in marketing make him an excellent addition to the team, Ian will be helping to develop the exciting new PCT Community digital HUB.
Ian works part-time with PCT and runs his own successful digital design business.
In his spare time, Ian can usually be found on Mount Wellington, shredding the trails on his overpriced mountain bike.
Luke De Jesus
Marketing & Membership Officer
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Luke De Jesus:
Luke is a marketing graduate from the University of Tasmania who joined our team in October 2021. With an academic background in economic analysis and marketing, Luke brings a unique perspective and passion to his role as our Marketing and Membership Officer. Although new to the health sector, Luke is eager to learn and is committed to supporting Palliative Care forward in all aspects. In his extra time, Luke enjoys playing sports such as basketball and football, investing, and enjoying the great outdoors.
Jess Sanders
Learning Through Loss Coordinator
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Jess
Jess Sanders is the Coordinator of the Youth Resilience Program, a new pilot program set to roll out to Tasmania high schools in 2023. Jess comes from a social work and education background and is deeply committed to supporting young people. Jess has worked with young people in a variety of contexts including schools, the youth justice system, and family violence refuges. She feels strongly that positive change starts with education and that unnecessary suffering can be prevented through the sharing of stories, knowledge, and skills. When Jess isn’t working with young people or creating educational resources she is hiking, gardening, or diving head first into the freezing Tassie ocean.
Ailsa McLaren
Palliative Care Project Officer
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Ailsa McLaren:
With a long history of championing palliative care, Ailsa joined us in July 2023 to work on the Palliative Care Navigation Model project and support our sector development. She has a diverse background in academic research and teaching, nursing, and sector development, and brings a wealth of experience and skills to our team.
In her spare time, Ailsa enjoys hanging out with her partner and their dog, testing out her ‘food experiments’ on family and friends, and digging around her family tree.
Deborah Wilson
Community & Sector Engagement Officer
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Deborah
Deb is our newest Community & Sector Engagement Officer. She is based in Launceston and will be connecting with people throughout northern, north-western and eastern regions. In her most recent previous role she worked as a patient transport officer, so travel is something Deb is very used to!
Over quite a few years Deb has worked across various health sector and disability services roles. She has also been an educator and most recently an academic within the university sector.
This newly created role at Palliative Care Tasmania is a wonderful fit with Deb’s varied range of experience and skills. She will be working hard to establish invaluable networks and engage collaboratively with people at community and sector levels across the state. And in between all of that, you might find Deb growing food, keeping fit, presenting community radio programs, or travelling to some pretty interesting places.
Kerry Hewitt
Executive Administration Officer
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Kerry
Kerry is passionate about smooth running of an organisation. She has also worked in the hospital environment in the Medical Oncology/Haematology and Radiation Departments and has a very diverse employment background across public and private sectors, which has enabled her to experience working with wide diverse groups.
Kerry loves the outdoors, you will see her stand-up paddle boarding in the surf or flat water, kayaking, hiking, and mountain biking in her spare time. She is always looking forward to the next adventure!