Classification Board Members

The members of the Classification Board are chosen to be broadly representative of the Australian community. This means that they are drawn from diverse areas, age groups and backgrounds. Board members are not required to hold any specific qualifications, but they must meet certain selection criteria which reflects the experience and qualities needed to effectively carry out their role.

All members of the Classification Board are based in Sydney, with some members moving from interstate to take up their role.

How are Classification Board Members Appointed?

Members of the Classification Board are appointed by the Governor-General, usually for a term of three years. No members of the Board can serve for a total of more than seven years.

To find information about the process of selecting Classification Board members, go to the Attorney-General's Department website.

Who are the Current Classification Board Members?

The Board is currently made up of a Director, a Deputy Director, a Senior Classifier and other Board members.

• Donald McDonald AC
• Georgina Dridan
• Greg Scott
• Amanda Apel
• Zahid Gamieldien
• Moya Glasson
• Sheridan Brill

---

Donald McDonald AC

Director
Appointed: 1 May 2007
Appointment Expires: 30 April 2011

Donald McDonald joined the Classification Board as its Director on 1 May 2007. His previous positions include Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 1996 to 2006, chief executive of The Australian Opera from 1987 to 1996 and General Manager of the Sydney Theatre Company from 1980 to 1986.

He is Chairman of The Australiana Fund, is a Director of the Glebe Administration Board and Chairman of The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific Pty Ltd.

He has served on numerous boards, including as Director of the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) and Chairman of the SOCOG Cultural Commission. He was Chairman of the Constitutional Centenary Foundation, a Fellow of the Senate of the University of Sydney, a member of the Australian Tourist Commission and a director of the University of NSW Foundation Board.

Donald McDonald was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1991, and made a Companion of the Order in 2006. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of NSW (1961) and was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters from that University in 2004. He was a Visiting Fellow of the University of Edinburgh in 1993.

He is married to Janet McDonald AO. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.

Top of page

Georgina Dridan

Board member
Appointed: 3 April 2006
Reappointed: 3 April 2009
Appointment Expires: 2 April 2013

Georgina Dridan, 38, from Melbourne is married with two young children and grew up in a small farming community in rural Victoria.

Georgina spent several years in broadcast training with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), and has lived and worked in the eastern Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and Quebec with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a producer and researcher.

Upon her return to Australia, Georgina worked as Deputy Programmer and Acquisitions Manager with Australia's first free-to-air digital network, ABC's youth network Fly TV; commissioning content and negotiating broadcast rights with international distributors and content providers.

Georgina has a strong interest in media and broadcasting issues and has recently undertaken studies in Media, Criminology and Psychology. While caring for her two children, prior to moving to Sydney, Georgina continued employment on a part-time basis with the Department for Victorian Communities as a project and policy officer. She has travelled extensively in Europe and North America and her interests include martial arts, cooking, tennis and film-making, particularly 3D computer and clay animation.

 

Greg Scott

Board member
Appointed: 3 April 2006
Reappointed: 3 April 2009
Appointment Expires: 2 April 2013

Greg Scott, 30, was raised in Possum Brush, on the mid-north coast of New South Wales.

Greg joined the Royal Australian Navy on completion of his secondary education. He served nine years as a Combat Systems Operator and now remains a Leading Seaman Reservist.

During his time in the Royal Australian Navy, he had the opportunity to serve both locally and internationally, travelling throughout South East Asia and the Middle East. He served onboard HMAS Perth, a now decommissioned guided missile destroyer and more recently HMAS Melbourne, a guided missile frigate. During this time onboard HMAS Melbourne he was involved in two operational deployments to the Persian Gulf, where he acted as an Electronic Warfare Director, specialising in above water warfare and anti-ship missile defence.

Prior to his naval service he was an indoor cricket umpire in junior competitions which allowed him to become closely involved with children and their families.

His interests include cricket, rugby league, fish-keeping, reading and drawing. He currently resides in Sydney with his wife.

Top of page

Amanda Apel

Board member
Appointed: 3 April 2009
Appointment Expires: 2 April 2012

Amanda Apel, 46, was raised on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.  She has lived and worked overseas as well as throughout Australia. After briefly working in the United Kingdom, Amanda spent fifteen years working and living in outback Western Australia, Queensland and The Northern Territory.

Prior to taking up her appointment to the Classification Board, Amanda held the position of Executive Officer for Swimming Northern Territory in Darwin, a position which relied on close ties to youth sports and the community at large.

Amanda’s extensive travel, study in various fields and diverse work experience afford her insight into a variety of cultures and social issues. She maintains an interest in art, photography, writing and films but takes the greatest joy in her family and her interaction with people from all walks of life.

Amanda lives in the northern beaches with her two pre-teen sons.

 

Zahid Gamieldien

Board member
Appointed: 18 May 2009
Appointment Expires: 17 May 2012

Zahid Gamieldien, 24, was born in Cape Town, South Africa and migrated to Australia with his parents at the age of three. He grew up in south-western Sydney and currently resides with his spouse in the inner-city.

Zahid holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Writing and Cultural Studies) and a Bachelor of Law from the University of Technology, Sydney. During his time at university, he contributed to the university newspaper and was published in the UTS Writers Anthology.

His previous employment in a migration law firm deepened his understanding of the legal issues and personal hardships of migrants and their families. He has also worked as a writer, with his stories and reviews appearing in various professional, academic and community publications. Prior to his appointment to the Classification Board, he practised as a solicitor for a subscription television company.

Zahid’s diverse education and employment background contributes broad cultural experience and community awareness to the Board. He has a strong interest in literature, football and films.

 

Moya Glasson

Board member
Appointed: 6 April 2009
Appointment Expires: 5 April 2012

Moya Glasson,55, holds a Bachelor of Education degree and has relocated from Western Australia to take up her position with the Board.

Moya taught in a number of metropolitan-area, regional and remote public schools across WA. After teaching for more than three years on the Cocos Islands, Moya received a scholarship from the Department of Education and Training in Western Australia (DETWA) to complete a semester of language and cultural studies at the Gajah Mada University, Yogyakarta, as part of a Graduate Diploma in Asian Studies. Moya has taught migrant and refugee students in Intensive English Centres in Perth as well as in schools, colleges and universities in Indonesia, Vietnam and South Korea.

Moya has worked in programs to improve educational outcomes for aboriginal and migrant students as well as the inter-department initiatives to support refugees and ethnic communities.

Moya, whose main interests are travel and languages, comes from a large extended family and has connections to a range of educational institutions, sporting clubs and other interest groups across WA in areas as diverse as dance, Aus-Kick and volunteer radio.

 

Sheridan Brill

Board member
Appointed: 3 April 2009
Appointment Expires: 2 April 2012

Sheridan Brill, 31, from Canberra, spent three years after high school working in various Public Service positions before deciding to become a teacher.
Sheridan attended a number of schools nationally and internationally during her father’s engineering career in the RAAF.  After completing her Bachelor of Education degree at the University of Canberra, she spent six years teaching Kindergarten to Year 6 in the ACT public education system. During her teaching career Sheridan was passionate about ensuring students from all backgrounds had access to quality education, with a specific focus on the development of literacy skills.

Sheridan’s interests lie in interior design, digital photography and maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle.