Board members

The Hon Paul de Jersey AC CVO KC

Former Chief Justice and Governor of Queensland, the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC CVO KC was appointed as Legal Aid Queensland Board Chair in February 2025. 

Mr de Jersey’s legal career began with a call to the bar in 1971 before taking silk in 1981 and being appointed to the Supreme Court in 1985. He was Chief Justice of Queensland from 1998 until 2014 when he was appointed as Queensland Governor. 

Mr de Jersey has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to charitable and community work over many decades, including as President of the Australian Cancer Society and Chair of the Queensland Cancer Fund. 

He was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in recognition of his extensive community involvement in 2000. 

Matilda Alexander

Board member since August 2024

Ms Alexander is the CEO of Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion (QAI and has more than 20 years' experience in human rights law and leadership, including at QAI, Prisoners’ Legal Service and the LGBTI Legal Service. She has also lectured at Griffith University and practised human rights law at the Queensland Human Rights Commission and Legal Aid Queensland. Ms Alexander's work with vulnerable communities has been recognised with numerous awards, and she has been selected three times as a delegate to the United Nations Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in New York. Matilda is Patron of the LGBTI Legal Service, and is appointed to the Independent Ministerial Advisory Council, Queensland Disability Advisory Council, LGBTIQ+ Roundtable and the National Strategy Advisory Group.

Mike Anstee

Mr Anstee is an experienced procurement and project manager, with more than 25 years’ experience in leadership roles in the construction industry and Queensland public service. A qualified architect, Mr Anstee has held senior positions in the Department of Public Works, including Director, Health, Law and Order Portfolio, where he oversaw the design and construction of major projects including correctional facilities at Gatton, Townsville, Lotus Glen and Brisbane, and the development of the new Brisbane higher courts complex and Ipswich Courthouse. He was a member of steering committees directing the development of major capital works projects in Queensland, including the Gold Coast University Hospital, Sunshine Coast University Hospital and Royal Children’s Hospital.

Spencer Browne

Board member since September 2021. 

Cairns-based lawyer Spencer Browne has a wealth of experience in private practice and the not-for-profit sector.

Spencer graduated from James Cook University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws and obtained his Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Australian National University in 2010. He was an associate to two District Court judges, before practising in planning and environmental law and commercial litigation. He is the North Queensland Law Association's longest-serving president and currently sits as the organisation's treasurer.

Spencer has a keen interest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs and has spent the last 10 years doing legislative compliance work in the Aboriginal Community Control Health Organisation (ACCHO) sector. He has organised a major youth-based event in north Queensland for the past 10 years, focusing on reducing youth crime and recidivism.

Last updated 17 May 2023