Australian Payroll Summit

Tracy has a background working with payroll vendors and payroll professionals and has spent the last 25 years trying to get one to make sense of the other.

Originally a dairy farmer’s daughter, Tracy is a Non Executive Director and one-time dinner date of Boy George. Tracy leads the team at Australian Payroll Association, who prefer her out of the office where she can’t cause havoc and that’s just how she likes it.   

Like most payroll professionals, Louise fell into the payroll world many moons ago, almost by mistake. She now has over fifteen years’ experience in Australian payroll, working for a number of great Australian brands in different industries. With all this knowledge Louise now focuses on training and supporting our members and students to grow their payroll knowledge.

Away from the office, Louise can often be found spending time with family and friends. She lives by the quote ‘Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you’  by Misty Copeland.

Maria was APA’s very first employee, and to this day, she’s still the most entertaining. Known affectionately as our resident payroll nerd, Maria has an unmatched passion for getting payroll right. She’s the person who actually enjoys reading payroll legislation in her spare time (yes, really) and her reputation for razor sharp knowledge is legendary.

As one of APA’s most enthusiastic trainers and our living, breathing knowledge base, Maria is the go to for even the trickiest payroll questions. If she doesn’t know the answer… well, no one does.

Toni Minovski is a senior industrial relations professional with over 25 years’ experience across IR and HR, including 24 years with NSW Industrial Relations. As Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Toni leads strategic engagement with employers, payroll professionals and industry stakeholders, supporting practical compliance with NSW workplace legislation.

Toni is widely recognised for translating complex regulatory requirements into clear, payroll-ready guidance, particularly in high-risk areas such as long service leave and payroll governance. He has delivered education and briefings to thousands of payroll and HR professionals across NSW, helping organisations reduce risk, strengthen compliance frameworks and operate with confidence. 

Adam Cogan is the Chief Architect and a Microsoft Regional Director at SSW, where he leverages more than three decades of experience building custom enterprise solutions across .NET, Azure, AI, Office 365, SharePoint, Dynamics 365, and the Power Platform. A respected thought leader in the tech community, Adam is a Microsoft Regional Director, Microsoft MVP (ALM), Certified Scrum Trainer, and frequent presenter at major international conferences including TechEd, DDD, and NDC. He mentors teams around the world on software architecture, DevOps, and modern development practices, and has trained thousands of developers while helping guide careers that have grown into industry leadership roles.

Adam is passionate about how AI is reshaping the way we build software and optimise workflows. Through his blog at adamcogan.com, interviews on SSW TV, and recent deep dives into AI agents, automation, and developer productivity, he explores practical, real-world applications of AI technologies that help teams innovate faster and deliver value with confidence. His engaging presentation style combines humour, deep technical insight, and hands-on examples, making complex topics accessible and actionable for audiences of all levels.

Louise Batistic is a regulatory leader with more than 15 years’ experience in workplace law enforcement. Since joining the Fair Work Ombudsman in 2008, she has held a range of operational and leadership roles, developing deep expertise in complex investigations, systemic non-compliance and sector-wide risk. As Director – Enforcement, she leads a team of 20 Inspectors targeting compliance and enforcement priorities of the Fair Work Ombudsman. 

Louise has a strong interest in agriculture and labour hire, and has led targeted initiatives addressing migrant worker exploitation, supply chain risk and serious contraventions of workplace laws.

Naomi Westwood is an SES Band 1 Assistant Commissioner at the Australian Taxation Office, where she leads the Payday Super Program. As Program Manager, she is responsible for overseeing the design and delivery of one of the government’s most significant superannuation reforms, working closely with policy agencies, industry and internal stakeholders to translate legislative intent into effective, implementable outcomes. Her focus is on strong governance, disciplined delivery and practical engagement to support improved compliance and better retirement outcomes for Australians. 

Naomi has extensive experience within the Australian Taxation Office, with a strong background in senior leadership, program delivery and stakeholder engagement.