Michael Balk was elected MEAA Federal President in 2024.

Michael was born on Bundjalung country and grew up on the lands of the Yaegl and Gumbaynggirr people. He is an actor and producer, and has been a MEAA member for over 20 years. He has worked on stage and screen, at home in Australia and overseas.

Michael has been been a grass-roots activist, section delegate, Vice- President and President of Equity Queensland. He has served on the National Performers Committee, the MEAA Board as Queensland representative, and the Finance and Risk Management Committee.

As Federal President, Michael’s responsibilities include signing off on MEAA’s financial accounts, chairing meetings of the Board and the Federal Council, and representing MEAA on various forums.

Michael Slezak
(Federal President)

Michael was appointed Federal President of MEAA Media in March 2025. He is the ABC’s national environment and science reporter, covering stories across all ABC platforms. A Walkley Award-winning journalist, he has a strong record of breaking stories at the intersection of environmental and governance issues, driving public debate and reform. A proud member of MEAA throughout his career, he is co-chair of the ABC’s House Committee and has led campaigns at the ABC to protect staff packages, win better pay and conditions, and stand up against outside political interference. Under his leadership, the ABC has doubled its union density and the national house committee structure has been reformed to better represent the diversity of journalists who work there. Before joining the ABC, Michael was the environment reporter for Guardian Australia and the Australasian correspondent for New Scientist magazine. He also edited The Best Australian Science Writing (NewSouth Books) and has contributed to numerous other publications.

Committee elected in March 2026

Asabi Goodman
(Federal President)

Asabi is an award-winning screen and theatre performer and a proud and active member of Equity since 2013. An actor and singer, she’s toured internationally with Hairspray (2022) and Chicago (2023). She has qualifications in Screen and Stage Acting from the Australian Performing Arts Conservatory, and in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California. Asabi served for many years as a delegate to the National Performers Committee and previously served in the role of Queensland Equity President. Her unionism is underpinned by a commitment to fairness, diversity, and reclaiming performer’s power in the creative industries.

Committee elected in March 2026

Fiona Donovan
(Federal President)

Fiona has worked in the Australian screen industry for three decades as a production designer and art director on productions ranging from local TV series like A Place To Call Home to offshore features such as Pacific Rim: Uprising. As well as serving as a federal councilor, she has been a member of the offshore template agreement negotiating committee, Get Real on Rates campaign committee, and is vice-president of Australian Production Designers Guild. She was first elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2022 and 2024.

Committee elected in March 2026

James Steendam
(Federal President)

James is a Sydney-based freelance violinist and violist with two decades of work across Australia’s major orchestras, including Opera Australia Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. He is a long‑standing member of the musical‑theatre community, notably on the Australian and international tours of Hamilton. He revitalised the Theatre Orchestra Musicians Association within MEAA and has been a strong national advocate for freelance musicians. In 2025, he represented MEAA at the 23rd FIM Congress in Geneva, forging a world‑first alliance of musical‑theatre unions with the BMU (UK) and AFM (US), elevating Australia’s global advocacy.

Committee elected March 2026