Director

Simon Kent has extensive experience in leadership, strategy and social reform with expertise across a range of policy areas including health, human services, justice and the entire education continuum.

“When the opportunity to contribute to the fantastic work of The Front Project came up I thought it was a perfect match. Systems change and the early years are both passions of mine, so I am proud to use my experience to contribute to bringing them together at TFP to help advocate for children and the value of early childhood education.”

Simon is a Senior Adviser to a cabinet minister in the Commonwealth Government, working on reform of skills and training. He was a Deputy Secretary in the Victorian Department of Education and Training for six years (2013-2019) with responsibility variously for policy, strategy, performance, evaluation, planning, and delivery, across all education, training and developmental life stages. He led development of the Victorian early childhood reform plan, Ready for Kinder, Ready for School, Ready for Life, and policy for the introduction of universal three year old kindergarten.

His six years in the education department followed eight years in the Social Policy Branch of the Department of Premier and Cabinet (2005-2013) where he worked on major Victorian and COAG reforms, including National Partnerships for the National Quality System and universal four year old kindergarten. Simon also spent two years at the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) as its Deputy CEO Thought Leadership.  Simon has also been a Public Policy Fellow in the Chancellery at the University of Melbourne.

Simon commenced his career in higher education advocacy and advisory roles, then expanded to include schools' policy while a shadow ministerial adviser in the Federal Parliament before joining DPC.  He also held the statutory role of Family Violence Reform Implementation Monitor to the Victorian Parliament in 2019.

Simon is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (Victoria), and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  He is winner of the 2022 Australian Council for Educational Leadership President’s Award, and a founding member of the ANZSOG Alumni Advisory Council.