Meet the Commissioner

Dr Kylie Heneker is the Commissioner for Children and Young People for South Australia, bringing extensive executive leadership experience across government, non-government and community sectors, particularly in education, training and skills, and human and community services. 

She has a strong record of leading complex reform agendas, designing innovative programs and frameworks, and strengthening service delivery to improve outcomes for vulnerable communities. Her work has consistently focused on system-level change, collaborative governance and ensuring policy and investment decisions are informed by lived and learned experience. 

Kylie has worked at senior levels of government and across statutory, corporate and not-for-profit organisations. Her experience includes advising ministers on reform strategies, leading major commissioning and funding reforms, and supporting organisations through periods of significant structural and cultural change. Her governance experience includes serving as Chair of the Uniting Communities Board, Deputy Chair of Community Centres SA, and Director of the Training and Skills Commission, where she also chaired the Access and Participation and Adult Community Education committees. Kylie is currently the Chair of the Wyatt Trust, contributing to grant-making approaches that prioritise sustainable, long-term impact for South Australians experiencing poverty and that elevate the voices of people with lived experience.

As Commissioner for Children and Young People, Kylie is committed to empowering children and young people as active contributors to decisions that affect their lives. Her focus is on fostering collaboration across government, education, human services, philanthropy and communities, and on ensuring the wellbeing of children and young people is recognised by decision-makers as a fundamental measure of the health of South Australian society.