Greg Combet is well known for his roles as the leader of the ACTU and as a Labor government minister. Less well known is that he grew up on a winery in Rooty Hill, worked as a coal miner and has a life-long passion for Gouldian finches. Combet is a proven leader and crisis manager, a veteran of some of Australia's largest industrial disputes, a fighter for social justice. Following two terms in parliament during which he had carriage of climate change policy, Combet is now pursuing a career in the superannuation industry and the private sector. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006 for his role in securing compensation for James Hardie asbestos victims. He lives in Sydney with his partner Juanita Philips and is currently designing his latest aviary.

Mark Davis spent more than 20 years as a journalist covering industrial relations, transport, economics and politics for The Age, The Australian Financial Review and The Sydney Morning Herald. He was a deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review and a federal vice-president and industrial officer for the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance. He has known Greg Combet since 1988. Davis was Combet's media adviser during the negotiation and implementation of the Gillard government's clean energy reforms to tackle climate change.