Amber Shuhyta
Illicit Tobacco and E-cigarette Commissioner
With a 25-year career rooted in purpose, eight of which were spent in the Senior Executive Service, Amber’s leadership roles have given shape to some of Australia’s responses to health equity, public safety, and inclusion.
Whether it’s navigating primary care strategy and access reform in the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, forging national policy on women’s safety in the Department of Social Services or crafting policies on child protection, mental health, and disability at the state and territory level, her ability to create alignment in environments too often mired by siloed thinking provides Amber with a strong foundation in tackling the threat of illicit tobacco and e-cigarettes.
A psychologist by training, she brings the authenticity and insight of someone who has worked on the frontlines. Amber’s early career was shaped by on-the-ground roles – managing psychiatric hospital services, walking alongside people experiencing homelessness on the streets of Sydney, and redesigning care pathways for individuals in prisons. These experiences remain the lens through which she views all reform – deeply interconnected and highly consequential.
Amber brings not only a wealth of experience to the role of Commissioner, but a strong voice to a policy environment that requires harmony and enduring solutions.