The team
The people who made these stories possible.
Portraits of Our Future is the work of researchers, writers, photographers, and the fifteen Australians who gave their time, trust, and honesty to this project.
Project leadership
The people who led this work.
Portraits of Our Future was conceived and led by Foundations for Tomorrow.
Taylor Hawkins
Co-Founder & Managing Director, FFT
Fatima-Zahra Ma-el-ainin
Narrative & Editorial Lead
Samantha Lawrence
Curatorial Lead
Amie Furlong
Research Lead
Photography
The photographers behind the portraits.
Seven photographers worked across fifteen locations to capture the people at the heart of this collection.
Lead Photographer & Visual Curator
Samantha Lawrence
Portraits: 03 Malmi · 07 Nick · 09 Alana & Zee · 10 Jamie · 11 Jacqui · 13 James & Julien
Contributing photographers
Bec Wood
Georgie
Grant Wells
Stafford
Helen Orr
Rocket & Josh
Morgan Sette
Dee
Natalie McComas
Sue, Victoria & Zen
Sarah Osborn
Pema
Research team
The researchers behind each portrait.
Each portrait was developed through extensive longitudinal research, interviews, analysis, policy review, and editorial collaboration.
Asmita Mehta
CLA Lead & Case Study Lead
Chrisiane Alcantar
Research Team
Haris Ahmad Khan
Research Team
Oscar Hawkins
Research Team
Lars Emery
Project Support
Ottie Allen
Project Support
Paris Riebeling
Project Support
Expert contributors
Reviewers and specialist advisors.
A range of specialists reviewed and contributed to the policy analysis and technical content across the collection. Additional reviewers will be acknowledged once consent has been received.
Adam Sharpe
Director of Learning at Metafuture School, Consultant at UNICEF
Amelia Leavesley
Research Fellow in Urban Climate Leadership and PhD Candidate in Urban Circular Economies, The University of Melbourne
Angela Raguz
Registered Nurse and MBA with 30 yrs experience in the Aged Care Sector
Chanah Wainer
Doctoral candidate, education designer and sessional lecturer at UNSW
Dr Josephine Regel
Senior Associate Director at Dartmouth Consulting Pty Ltd
Gareth Simpson
National Executive: Mine Closure, WSP
Johann Schutte
Foresight specialist, School of International Futures
Kristy Bevan
CEO, Conservation SA
Kyla White
Board Member, Plan C
Lee Barrett
AI Education and Advocacy Lead, CEnet
Margot Eden
Honorary Senior Fellow, Centre for the Study of Higher Education, Faculty of Education, The University of Melbourne
Paul Paulson
Chief Executive Officer, The Nahri Institute Pty Ltd
Professor Kirsten Benkendorff
Marine biologist and biomedical researcher, Southern Cross University
Professor Tanya Notley
Professor of Digital Media, Western Sydney University
Sonia Arakkal
Incubation & Communication Lead, School of International Futures
Steve Green
CEO, Wyuna Regenerative Ag
Zoe Hawkins
Co-Founder & Deputy Director, Tech Policy Design Institute
The participants
The fifteen Australians at the heart of this work.
A note of deep thanks
We extend our deepest thanks to the fifteen Australians who generously shared their stories, time, reflections, and personal experiences to help shape this collection. Their willingness to speak openly about the pressures, possibilities, and contradictions in their own lives - and to think carefully about the generations who follow - is what makes this work meaningful.
Each portrait has been written using only participants’ first names to protect their privacy, while ensuring their insights and perspectives remain central to this national conversation about the future we are creating together. Their contribution is not incidental to this project. It is the project.
About the organisation
Foundations for Tomorrow.
Foundations for Tomorrow (FFT) works to advance long-term governance, leadership and decision-making that safeguards the wellbeing of current and future generations.
We work in partnership with leaders across sectors and generations to embed long-term, intergenerational thinking into governance, leadership, and decision-making, because the choices we make today shape the Australia we inherit tomorrow. We unite researchers, policymakers, communities, and young leaders to break the cycle of political short-termism.
The Lab
The Lab is a collaborative design process, bringing together communities, institutions and leaders over 18 months to prototype and pilot how Australians can participate in shaping long-term national direction, and how those insights can be translated into durable decision-making and reform.