Meet the Members of the Trust: Alexandra O'Mara

Can you share a bit about your career journey and how you came to join the Harbour Trust? 

My career has always focused on place, land-use planning and environment but I started my career journey as a planning and environmental lawyer initially at Mallesons Stephen Jaques. I moved into government because I was more interested in how to reform the law than in applying it. I did a masters in public law and policy because I realised that my passion was in how to reform policy and systems to create better outcomes I worked across many areas of policy and planning reform from water to land use, coastal reform, biodiversity, safety, building and construction and property and a lot of my roles involved engagement with communities on change and land use conflict. 

My first board role was as the NSW representative on the Australian Building Codes Board. I moved into Senior Executive Roles in the NSW Government as the Deputy Secretary of Create NSW leading a 2b program of cultural infrastructure including the Naala Badu building of the NSW Art Gallery, the Walsh Bay Renewal and the business case and international design competition entry for the Powerhouse Parramatta. I was Group Deputy Secretary for Place Design and Public Space leading whole-of-government programs to improve walkable access to quality public space across NSW and planting a million trees across Sydney, leading place strategies, infrastructure planning, Government Architect and looking after places like Royal Botanic Gardens, Centennial Park, Parramatta Park, Western Sydney Parklands, Callan Park, The Rocks and Darling Harbour.

In 2022, I founded Sustainable Solutions Advisory and began a portfolio career where I am a Non-Executive Director on boards focused on place, community and sustainability. I am a Professor of Practice in Urbanism at the University of Sydney in the Centre for Flourishing Cities and a Commissioner on the NSW Planning Commission.

What did you study or train and how does this influence your role as a Member of the Trust?

I studied Bachelor of Arts/Law at University of Sydney. My arts degree taught me how to think creatively and stimulated my curiosity and this has been a driving force in my career. My legal training influences my role as a Member of the Trust because it informs the way I think about risk, governance and problem solving. My Masters of Administrative Law and Policy shapes the way I think about decision-making in terms of fairness and my training in policy and engagement enables me to think about reform that creates better outcomes and how to listen.  

Are there any books, films or experiences that significantly influenced how you think about heritage and public spaces?

So many! Most recently Flourish by Sarah Ichioka and Michael Pawlyn, Tony Juniper’s Just Earth, Alison Page and Paul Memmott’s Design: Building on Country, Mariana Mazzucato’s The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy, Sustainable Places by David Adamson, Lorena Axinte and Terry Marsdon, and Charles Landry’s The Creative City.  

I’ve always loved travelling and discovering new places and their stories and history. Growing up in Dubbo, I spent a lot of time travelling around remote places in Western NSW and loved the beauty and stories of those places. I left home to live in France when I was 18 and travelled a lot in Europe and Asia and lived in London. I love discovering a new place and understanding the story of that place – what’s shaped it and what people value about it.  

What has been the most defining moment of your career so far?

The opportunity and challenge of driving system-wide reform and impact in leading two whole-of-government programs. Greener Public Spaces delivered a 10% improvement in walkable access to quality public space across NSW and Greening the City involved us planting 1 million trees across Greater Sydney.

These programs were designed and delivered in partnership with communities, not-for-profits and councils and were all about impact on the ground through innovative programs like Streets as Shared Spaces, demonstration projects like Places to Love, the Festival of Place as well as system reform through a new evaluation framework for green infrastructure and public space. Some of the projects I was involved in leading when I was Deputy Secretary at Create NSW are also very special to me – the Naala Badu building at the NSW Art Gallery, the international design competition for the Powerhouse Parramatta and the renewal of the Walsh Bay arts precinct. I felt a huge sense of responsibility because I know how precious those places are to the community. 

What is your vision for the future of the Harbour Trust and its destinations?

I’d love to see the Harbour Trust work with the Australian community to bring these places to life so that people come and feel welcome and enjoy them, and – in doing so – we honour their incredible stories and history and protect what’s precious, like their incredible natural assets. These are places that are very special to many Australians and to international visitors too and I want bring a proactive and inclusive approach to looking after those places for people now and for future generations.  

Is there a lesser-known spot at a Harbour Trust destination that holds personal meaning to you?

A really special place for me is the Parade Ground at North Head Sanctuary. When my dad (pictured below) was in the Army Reserve in the 1960s, he spent weeks at a time onsite doing training. It was pretty special to attend the Defence of Sydney commemoration with him a few years ago and learn more about the role of North Head in our history and walk around the Parade Ground with him and hear about his stories which really brought the place to life for me.  

Which recent project or initiative by the Harbour Trust are you most proud of and why?

I’m proud of the work the Harbour Trust did on the Cockatoo Island / Wareamah Master Plan and how it can shape a great future for that incredible place. There was a lot of effort to engage people and I really liked the work the team did with the Story Factory to understand and include what young people saw as the future of that place. 

Cockatoo Island / Wareamah has so many layers of history, I’ve had some fantastic times there in my life before I was a Member of the Trust. Camping on the island with my kids and a group of 7 families from school. When my kids were little, they had a ball although there was not much sleep! Visiting the Biennale and seeing amazing works like Tony Albert’s Muru Mittigar and Ai WeiWei’s Law of the Journey every time I walk through those spaces I remember those experiences.  

Then, as a Member of the Trust, a special day was during the Global Nature Positive Summit 2025 and being part of a delegation visiting the island. I heard our Deputy Chair Alison Page speak to visitors from around the world about Designing with Country and designing sustainably in the built environment, and how the Harbour Trust is working to embed First Nations stories, bring back endemic species and create learning experiences for Aboriginal people in architecture and design – for example, by making traditional canoes.

What upcoming Harbour Trust project or initiative are you most excited about?

I’m excited about the project that will convert the historic slipways on Cockatoo Island / Wareamah into a new, free public harbour swimming and kayaking area. It will mean that anyone – families, visitors, friends – can get a ferry to Cockatoo Island and spend the day having a swim, checking out the island and its stories, enjoying a picnic, and having a coffee or a drink at Sunset Sessions.  

What role does tourism play in what the Harbour Trust sets out to do?

Tourism is important because we want visitors to come and appreciate our sites. They are great ways for people to understand Australia because of our precious natural environment and layers of our history –  First Nations history, convict heritage, military history and industrial history. The experiences people have in our places can bring those places to life whether it’s a community open day or enjoying a drink at Sunset Sessions, a concert at Night at the Barracks, some art, a picnic or a walk. There’s something for everyone and those shared experiences at our places create a sense of connection.  

What advice would you give someone to start a career in heritage management or conservation today?

I think it’s about really listening and understanding the stories that have shaped a place and bringing an approach to heritage that’s not about locking it up or stifling it. Places are constantly evolving. It’s about looking after heritage in a way that enables people to engage with it and value it.  

The Members of the Trust are non-executive members appointed by the Minister for the Environment and Water. In accordance with the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Act 2001, this body consists of 8 members including the Chair as well as 2 members recommended by the NSW Government, one representing the interests of First Nations peoples and another who provides a local government perspective and experience. To see the full list of members, click here.