Parks Australia supports the Director of National Parks, the federal park agency, in managing six Commonwealth national parks, the Australian National Botanic Gardens, and Australian Marine Parks.
Parks Australia staff are part of the federal environment portfolio, in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. The Director of National Parks is a statutory officeholder, charged under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act) with helping to conserve Australia’s biodiversity and cultural heritage.
You can find more information about Parks Australia in our publications.
Senior management team
Director of National Parks
Sean Sullivan is a Deputy Secretary in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW). He oversees Parks Australia and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). He is currently Director of National Parks.
Sean has worked in the Australian Government for over 30 years across a number of departments and executive agencies including Primary Industries and Energy, Environment, and Industry portfolios and the Australian Greenhouse Office and the National Oceans Office.
Key domestic issues that he has worked on include energy, natural resource management, climate change, forest policy, oceans policy, population policy and indigenous land management and biodiversity protection. Sean has also worked on several international issues including international oceans policy, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and more recently the International Energy Agency.
Before joining the Australian Public Service, Sean spent 10 years at the Australian National University in undergraduate, postgraduate and research positions in medical chemistry, economics, science, ecology and environmental law.
Division Head – Parks Australia Division
Jason is Division Head of Parks Australia. He is responsible for assisting the Director in managing Australia’s marine and terrestrial parks.
Jason recently worked in Environment Protection Division, where he first led a team to implement a national ban on certain waste exports and later acted as First Assistant Secretary for the Division.
Jason was Assistant Secretary of the Marine Parks Branch from 2016–2019, in which he led the finalisation and implementation of management plans for Australia’s national network of Australian Marine Parks.
Previously, Jason was General Manager, Strategies Branch at the Australian Antarctic Division from 2011 until January 2016. Prior to that, he worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on overseas postings in the Philippines and Thailand, and positions in Canberra, including Director, China Political and External Section. Jason has also worked as a Senior Adviser in the Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and as a senior adviser in the International Division of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Jason holds an MA (International Relations), a Graduate Diploma (Foreign Affairs and Trade) and did his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts and Law (with First Class Honours in law), at the University of Tasmania.
Branch Head - Marine and Island Parks Branch
Dr Barbara Musso is Branch Head for the Marine and Island Parks Branch, with responsibility to manage the 58 Australia’s Marine Parks, Christmas Island and Pulu Keeling Marine Parks and the Norfolk Island Marine Park. Barbara is on secondment from the CSIRO, where her position is Program Director for the Marine National Facility.
Barbara has worked for 25 years at the interface between marine and environmental science and policy, planning and conservation. Before joining the CSIRO in 2017, Barbara was with the Australian federal Department of the Environment where she worked primarily in marine planning and conservation and in the Office of Water Science.
Barbara has a PhD in Marine Biology from James Cook University and a Master of Public Administration from the Australia National University.
Acting Branch Head - Strategic Partnerships and Australian National Botanic Gardens
Anthony is acting Branch Head for Strategic Partnerships and Australian National Botanic Gardens Branch, which has responsibility for managing the Australian National Botanic Gardens and many of Parks Australia’s biodiversity science programs, including the Bush Blitz species discovery program. Responsibilities also include coordination support for the National Parks Conservation Trust and the Australian Seed Bank Partnership.
Anthony’s early career provided a background in biology, environmental science and as a working botanist in Sydney and Canberra. Since 2005, his work has been focused on developing and managing Australian Government policies, programs and data systems relating to Landcare, taxonomy, conservation, and policies relating to wildlife trade and heritage. Anthony was also Deputy Director of the Centre of Australian National Biodiversity Research, a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO.
Branch Head – Booderee, Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa & Joint Management Support
Karl currently oversees the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa and Booderee National Parks, which are jointly managed between Traditional Owners and the Director of National Parks. Karl has spent over 4 years with Parks Australia and at various times has managed each the terrestrial parks. Prior to joining Parks Australia Karl spent nine years working and living in remote communities in the Northern Territory, the last three years as Chief Executive Officer of the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation in Maningrida. Karl lived in the Northern Territory for 20 years and has had extensive experience in engaging with Indigenous communities, working with Traditional Owners, ranger groups and other stakeholders to achieve social, economic, health and environmental outcomes for First Nations people.
In the past Karl has worked for both the Northern Territory and Australian governments in a range of roles including business management, accounting, system implementation, strategic planning, and corporate services. Karl has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Canberra and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Branch Head – Kakadu and Strategic Reform Branch
Shaun currently leads the Kakadu and Strategic Reform Branch in Parks Australia which manages, protects and conserves the iconic world-heritage Kakadu National Park, undertakes the remediation of Jabiru township and leads strategic reforms to support the Director of National Parks. The Branch works in close partnership with Traditional Owners, Indigenous corporations, local communities, the tourism industry, park users and other government agencies to achieve its objectives. In this role, Shaun is also a member of the Kakadu Board of Management.
Shaun has previously held leadership positions in several government agencies in roles focused on marine and terrestrial protected area management, strategic planning, program development and collaboration between Traditional Owners, the science community, government and industry. He has extensive experience in working with Traditional Owners on natural and cultural resource management policy and programs in northern Australia, and is passionate about addressing the threatening processes impacting environmental, social and cultural values in northern Australia.
Branch Head - Parks Support Services Branch
Ranga oversees Parks Australia’s Support Services Branch. The support services for Parks Australia include: Assurance and Governance, Customer and Visitor Experience, Legal Services, Future of Parks, Financial Management, Human Resources, Science and Strategic Policy, and Workplace Health and Safety functions.
Ranga started his 30+ years career in remote Arnhem Land working in the Gulin Gulin Resource Centre (Bulman). With a strong foundation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ALRA, Native Title) and resources commodities policy legislation and regulation. Ranga has worked in both the Northern Territory and Commonwealth Governments, and in the private sector over the years.
Prior to joining Parks Australia, Ranga was acting Branch Manager of Program Compliance and Fraud at the National Indigenous Australian Agency (NIAA) and has held other senior positions in NIAA. Prior to NIAA, Ranga has held Director positions in Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
Ranga has completed a Bachelor of Commerce and was an executive secondee to the Jawun Empowered Communities Program at Cape York Partnership.
Branch Head – Major Projects Branch
Alan is leading the Major Projects Branch in delivering a broad program of infrastructure works for Parks Australia with support of each park’s Traditional Owners.
Alan joined Parks Australia in 2022 following two years in Darwin working on infrastructure programs with the Department of Defence and the United States Marine Corps. Prior to this, Alan has worked across a variety of Commonwealth and State government roles including property acquisition, Native Title, resource sector access to Commonwealth land, environmental impact assessment, environmental regulation under the Airports Act 1996 and forestry.