Kai Cantwell

Background

About Kai Cantwell

A sports tragic and lover of all things, NRL, Cricket, Motor Racing, Horses, Dogs, and Poker. Social Policy was not where I thought I would land. I always wanted to be a sports star, and when I peaked at state running, swimming and rep soccer, I thought I'd be quite content as a middle manager in retail. However, after growing up experiencing poverty and disadvantage as a child, I decided to take a leap and started working with Centrelink. After 15 years of social policy and politics in the Federal Government, achieving some amazing outcomes for all Australians, I have finally moved back into the world of sports - albeit on the wagering side, where I aim to merge my passions of social policy and sport, while balancing personal freedoms and appropriate consumer protections. My key achievements to date include:* 10+ years of Public Service; from call centre to remote servicing to policy development;* State Manager of a team of 120 people in Sydney;* 3 yrs as a Chief of Staff in the Federal Government to a Cabinet Minister throughout the pandemic;* Year-on-year record investments in Commonwealth Women's Safety funding from 2018-2022;* Played a key role in the development, negotiation, and implementation of the first tranche of measures of the National Consumer Protection Framework for online wagering;* Record increases to Welfare Payments to the most vulnerable Australians. And, some of the most amazing, interesting and life-changing social policies in Child Protection, Indigenous Policy, and broader Social Security policy - But I can't summarise them all here - it wouldn't do them justice.