{{Short description|Australian author}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}} {{Use Australian English|date=October 2016}} '''Cassandra Wilkinson''' {{Post-nominals|country=AUS|OAM}} is an Australian author and the former president and co-founder of FBi Radio.<ref name="abc">[http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2071352.htm Cassandra Wilkinson - The Drum Opinion (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> She is married to former Australian politician Paul McLeay.
==Writing career==
Wilkinson was a columnist for the newspaper ''The Australian''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/cassandra-wilkinson |title=Cassandra Wilkinson |website=theaustralian.com.au |access-date=2024-04-21}}</ref> She wrote ''Don't Panic – Nearly Everything is Better Than You Think'', published by Pluto Press in 2007.<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/myth-of-the-modern-malaise/2007/05/04/1177788393162.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2 Myth of the modern malaise], theage.com.au, 5 May 2007</ref> and ''The Kids Are Alright – 10 Good Reasons to Relax and Let Kids Be Kids''. She has made presentations at the Sydney Writers' Festival and the Festival of Dangerous Ideas.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.swf.org.au/component/option,com_2007/task,view_writer/writer_from,W/writer_to,Wzzz/Itemid,141/ |title=Sydney Writers' Festival<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=23 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706130725/http://www.swf.org.au/component/option,com_2007/task,view_writer/writer_from,W/writer_to,Wzzz/Itemid,141/ |archive-date=6 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She has written individual chapters on happiness economics in ''Happiness'' (Spinney Press, 2008) and on effective programs for the poor in ''Right Social Justice'' (Connor Court, 2012). She contributed to So You Want to Be a Leader.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tonight-launch-so-you-want-leader-philip-crisp/ |title=TONIGHT: launch of 'So you want to be a leader' |website=linkedin.com |access-date=2024-04-21}}</ref>
She was regular commentator for ''Sky News Agenda'', ''The Bolt Report'' and ABC's ''The Drum''. She was featured in ''Best Australian Science Writing 2012'' (UNSW Press). She has written on innovation in public policy in The Three Sector Solution (ANU 2014).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n1949/pdf/ch13.pdf |title=Alliance Contracting: How to progress in a world of uncertainty |website=press-files.anu.edu.au |access-date=2024-04-21}}</ref> Wilkinson's play After Dinner Mince was performed at the Sydney Fringe Festival Big Competition for Little Plays in 1998.
==Career== Wilkinson is an executive at NSW Treasury. Wilkinson previously {{when|date=March 2013}} worked for Social Finance Pty Ltd, a start-up social impact bonds broker. She was a senior public servant and senior political adviser to the New South Wales Treasurer and other Labor ministers.<ref name="abc"/><ref>Cassandra Wilkinson, [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23594424-7583,00.html "Kevin, we need to talk about the kids"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080429052638/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23594424-7583,00.html |date=29 April 2008 }}, ''The Australian'', 25 April 2008</ref>
Cassandra Wilkinson is co-owner of Lazy Thinking Records.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.instagram.com/lazythinkingrecords/ |title=lazythinkingrecords |website=Instagram |access-date=2024-04-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://themusic.com.au/news/say-hello-to-lazy-thinking-the-new-label-from-fbi-co-founder-cassandra-wilkinson/M1QkJyYpKCs/22-01-16 |title=Say Hello To Lazy Thinking, The New Label From FBi Co-founder Cassandra Wilkinson |website=themusic.com.au |date=2016-01-22 |access-date=2024-04-21}}</ref> She is a member of the board of the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). She is a current board member and former Vice President of the Council for Civil Liberties. Cassandra was one of the founding members of FBi Radio and served as President from 1997 to 2021.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
Wilkinson was a freight expert, holding the position of Director, Rail and Freight Policy in the New South Wales Ministry of Transport.<ref>[http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/file/publications/annual_reports/annual-report-07.pdf Ministry of Transport Annual Report 2007] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323183358/http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/file/publications/annual_reports/annual-report-07.pdf |date=23 March 2012 }}, p. 58</ref> She was made redundant from this position in January 2009, following the New South Wales government decision to axe executive positions.<ref>Brian Robins, [http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/first-cuts-are-deep-for-labor-staff/2009/01/15/1231608886253.html "First cuts are deep for Labor staff"], ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 16 January 2009</ref> She was a director in the Economics practice of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu{{cn|date=April 2024}} before returning to work for Premier Kristina Keneally until the defeat of the Labor government in March 2011.
In addition to being a founder and president of FBi FM, she was a director of Music NSW and of the Human Capital Project, a charity that provides personal equity loans to poor students in Cambodia. She was previously vice president of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia and a director of Sydney City Farm. From 2016 to 2022 she was a committee member and Treasurer of the Inner West Roller Derby League.
== Honours and recognition == Wilkinson was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2024 King's Birthday Honours for "service to the broadcast media, and to the community".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ms Cassandra Margaret Eilish Wilkinson |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/3026655 |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=Australian Honours Search Facility}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Cassandra}} Category:Writers from Sydney Category:Australian essayists Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Category:Executive directors of government departments of New South Wales Category:21st-century Australian public servants Category:21st-century Australian women public servants