The Hon. Madeleine King was sworn in as Federal Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia on 1 June 2022, and reappointed to the role on 13 May 2025, following the re-election of the Albanese Government.

Minister King was first elected to Parliament in 2016, representing the seat of Brand on the outskirts of Perth, where she was born and grew up.

The seat encompasses the Cities of Rockingham and Kwinana and contains some of Perth’s heavy industries, including the HMAS Stirling naval base on Garden Island and the Kwinana Industrial Area. King’s father worked at the BP oil refinery in Kwinana and her mother and grandmother ran a drapery store in Rockingham.

Minister King was promoted to the shadow ministry in 2018 and has served as Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs and Small Business, Shadow Minister for Trade and Shadow Minister for Resources.

Before entering parliament Minister King held senior executive roles at The University of Western Australia and served as the inaugural Chief Operating Officer at the Perth USAsia Centre.

As a Shadow Minister, a former political adviser and through Parliamentary committee work, she was a regular visitor to Northern Australia and has been deeply engaged in issues surrounding development in the north.

Minister King has a strong interest in ensuring the benefits of economic development are shared fairly and create opportunities for all segments of Australian society.

Minister King has a law degree from the University of Western Australia in Perth.

She is also a keen hockey enthusiast, and was a member of the WA Women’s Masters Hockey Team from 2012 to 2015.

The Hon Jackie Jarvis MLC is the Minister for Agriculture and Food; Fisheries; Forestry; Small Business; and Mid West, and has been a Member of the Legislative Council since 2021.

Through her work as a farmer, regional businesswoman and in the public service, Jarvis has a long career advocating for communities in the bush.
She is passionate about continuing to provide a strong voice for regional communities in WA.

Ben was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the CBH Group in July 2021. Previously, he was Chief Operations Officer from where he was responsible for leading CBH’s world-class storage and handling, logistics and shipping services. Ben is leading CBH Group in creating a sustainable future and returning value to Western Australian growers.

Before joining CBH, Ben worked for an investment advisory firm and an international professional services firm.

Ben is a member of the Chartered Accountants Australia and is on the board of the Business Council of Co-operative and Mutuals (BCCM), UWA Business School, and Scotch College Perth.

The Hon Stephen Smith is the Chair of the Perth USAsia Centre.

He is a former Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, from January 2023 until December 2025.

In August 2022, Mr Smith was asked by the Australian Government to co-lead the Australian Government’s Defence Strategic Review, which was completed in February 2023.

Prior to that, Mr Smith had been a Professor of Public International Law at the University of Western Australia since 2014.

Mr Smith previously served as Federal Member for Perth for the Australian Labor Party (1993-2013); Minister for Defence (2010-2013); Minister for Foreign Affairs (2007-2010); and Minister for Trade (2010).

Mr Smith holds a Masters of Laws in Public International Law, (London University 1982). He holds a Bachelor of Arts (1979) and Bachelor of Laws (1977) from the University of Western Australia, and was then admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

Mr Smith lived, worked and studied in London from August 1979 – March 1983.

He completed the Bar Exams (Middle Temple) and was admitted as a Barrister of the Bar of England and Wales.

While in the UK, Mr Smith lectured and tutored law and completed a Masters Degree in Public International Law at London University (LSE).

Mr Smith has been a Wolverhampton Wanderers supporter since 1980.

Simone is the Deputy Director General, Strategy, Performance and International Engagement at the Western Australian Department of Energy and Economic Development. This division shapes and aligns strategy, policy, planning, evaluation and communication across DEED to ensure effective delivery and resource utility while leading the Government’s investment, trade and international engagement agenda.

Key areas of focus for Simone and her team include economic diversification, industry decarbonisation and fostering a cohesive approach to the State’s long-term economic development.

In her role, Simone leads Invest and Trade Western Australia, the State’s ‘front door’ for investors and exporters, facilitating investment into Western Australia and assisting local industry to access new export markets. Invest and Trade Western Australia includes the State’s network of international offices, which promote Western Australia and its industries across the world.

Simone has a background in shaping and managing complex government policy and reform and has had the benefit of working in a wide variety of fields from economic policy, energy trading, capital works investment, funding and contracting reform and community sector development.

Over the last 15 years, Simone has held senior executive positions across the Western Australian Departments of the Premier and Cabinet, Treasury and Communities. Prior to this, she worked in the United Kingdom.

Simone has a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Politics and International Studies.

Rachael Risucci is bp’s Vice President Australia, Gas & Low Carbon Energy. She is responsible for managing bp’s gas business in Australia, including bp's interests in joint ventures such as the North West Shelf LNG Project. Rachael has been with bp for over 30 years and brings broad experience from positions in Australia and the UK across strategic planning, joint venture management and commercial activities. Previous to her role as VP Gas & Low Carbon Energy, Rachael was VP Finance, leading commercial activities across bp’s non-operated gas joint venture portfolio in Australia.

Patrick Seares is the Managing Director of Westport, the WA Government’s planning program to address future container trade constraints by relocating container trade from Fremantle to Kwinana. He brings senior executive experience across the water, environment and marine sectors, including as CEO of a major marine research joint venture and as an adviser to the UK Government on program management and water infrastructure planning. He oversaw the development of Westport’s Business Case and is now guiding the definition phase, setting up the foundations required to move the program toward delivery.

Geoff Smith is Managing Director of SCT Logistics, one of Australia’s leading rail and logistics businesses. He returned to the family business in 1995 to oversee the procurement, design and development of intermodal rail terminals nationally, and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2002. Under his leadership, SCT has grown into an integrated national rail freight operator with a strong reputation for innovation, terminal development and rail engineering capability. Geoff was recently appointed Chair of the Freight on Rail Group, which advocates on the major issues facing the sector, including network quality, decarbonisation and the competitiveness of rail freight.