The latest senior public sector appointments from across the country.
Senior Executive Service
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At the Department of Treasury, Richard Maher was promoted to assistant secretary.
Brodie Smith was promoted to executive director, compliance at the Fair Work Ombud.
Two people joined the Australian National Audit Office as executive directors: Fiona Sheppard and Susan Drennan.
Michael Kardaris moved from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to take up the role of chief information officer at the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Quality and Safeguards Commission.
At the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Belinda Jago was promoted to branch head.
Australian Law Reform Commission president
Mordecai Bromberg was appointed president of the Australian Law Reform Commission starting on July 10.
Bromberg has been a Federal Court judge since 2009 and chairs the advisory board of the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law.
Mark Moshinsky has been acting in the role and will continue as a part-time commissioner.
Five diplomatic appointments
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong made five diplomatic appointments, each of them career public servants.
The appointments are as follows:
Todd Dais as consul-general in Makassar, Indonesia
Alison Duncan as the ambassador to Greece, also accredited to Bulgaria and Romania
Philip Green as the high commissioner to India
Alison Shea as consul-general in Papeete, French Polynesia
“Australia’s representatives overseas prosecute our national interests and through their diplomatic engagement help uphold the norms and rules that have underpinned decades of peace and prosperity,” Wong said.
Former AFP commissioner leading commonwealth disaster funding review
Andrew Colvin, a former AFP commissioner, is leading a review into commonwealth disaster funding.
Colvin led the national recovery efforts after the 2019-20 bushfire season.
The review’s final report is due in April 2024, with public submissions open for community experiences with funding programs.
High Court of Australia justice to retire
Susan Kiefel, the chief justice of the High Court of Australia, will retire early from her role on November 5.
Kiefel is the first HCA female chief justice, with Law Council of Australia president Luke Murphy saying she had shown “exemplary leadership including by commissioning an independent investigation into sexual harassment complaints made against a judge of the Court”.
“I particularly commend chief justice Kiefel for her unwavering support of the legal profession. Despite her heavy workload, she has always given up her time to share her expertise and experience,” Murphy said.
Greater Cities chief commissioner to leave
Geoff Roberts will finish up as chief commissioner at the Greater Cities Commission when his term expires on June 30.
NSW planning minister Paul Scully said Roberts had achieved many things during his time.
“His major legacy is in Western Sydney, where he led a governance process that aligned the three levels of government, demonstrating the boldness and collaboration required to provide better housing and jobs choice for communities,” Scully said.
Roberts spoke to The Mandarin this week about the international rise of the city-region.
Deputy chief commissioner and city commissioner of Eastern Harbour City Dr Deborah Dearing will act as chief commissioner from July 1.
CSIRO names molecular biologist as its new chief executive
A replacement for Dr Larry Marshall at the CSIRO has been found, with Professor Doug Hilton appointed as the agency’s chief executive.
Hilton will start on September 29. The molecular and cellular biologist spent 14 years as director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI).
Before Hilton takes up the CSIRO role, executive director, future industries Kirsten Rose will act as chief executive from July 1.
Read The Mandarin’s full coverage here.
South Australian skills commissioner
National Transport Commission senior consultant Cameron Baker is South Australia’s new skills commissioner.
Replacing inaugural commissioner Renee Hindmarsh, Baker will start in the role in July.
Additionally, the following two-year member appointments have been made to the Skills Commission:
- Adrienne Nieuwenhuis – commissioner, Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency
- John Chapman – former small business commissioner
- Helen Gibbons – director (early childhood education), United Workers Union
- Louise Nobes– CEO, KIK Innovation
- Leonie Boothby – CEO, Regional Development Australia Barossa Gawler Light Adelaide Plains
- Andy Keough – managing director, SAAB Australia
- Ian Horne – CEO, Australian Hotels Association
- Michael Luchich – state and territory director (SA and NT), Optus
- Stuart Gordon – SA assistant secretary, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union
- Robyn Verrall – south-east farmer and founder, Bully’s Meat
WA mental health commissioner
Maureen Lewis was appointed the new mental health commissioner in Western Australia for a five-year term.
Lewis will start on July 1, with her most recent role as executive director of child and adolescent mental health services at the Child and Adolescent Health Service.
Lindsay Hale has been acting in the position since October 2022.
NT anti-discrimination commissioner
Jeswynn Yogaratnam was appointed the Northern Territory’s anti-discrimination commissioner, replacing Sally Sievers.
Yogaratnam was a principal policy officer at the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and was a lead academic in international human rights law at Charles Darwin University for ten years (2008 to 2018).
Traci Keys will continue to act as commissioner until Yogaratnam starts on August 7.
Our Watch commonwealth director
Karen Iles has joined the board of Our Watch as a director for a two-year term.
Iles commenced in the role on June 16, with her saying she will continue to champion the prevention of violence against women and children.
“This is an issue that affects all of us. No matter where you live, what ethnicity, sexuality, ability, religion, or job you have, what language you speak or how old you are, gender-based violence impacts each of us directly, or someone we know,” Iles said.
Hydro Tasmania chair
Richard Bolt, former secretary of the Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, is the new chair of Hydro Tasmania.
Bolt start in the role on July 1, replacing outgoing chair Grant Every-Burns.
Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff said he looked forward to working with Bolt on progressing the state’s renewable energy agenda.
Australian Children’s Television Foundation board
Michelle Lim Davidson was appointed the commonwealth’s representative to the Australian Children’s Television Foundation board.
Lim Davidson has previously been a presenter on Play School and played the role of Amy in Utopia’s first two seasons.
Arts minister Tony Burke said Lim Davidson would bring “extraordinary talent and a sharp intellect” to the role.
Manufacturing Skills Queensland CEO
Rebecca Andrews has been appointed the CEO of Manufacturing Skills Queensland, starting in July.
Andrews’ past roles include deputy director-general, small business at the Queensland Department of Employment, Small Business, and Training.
Speaking on her appointment, Andrews said she will “ensure we continue to attract, upskill, reskill to grow a sustainable, inclusive and diverse workforce and business community that thrives today, and in the future”.
WA Supreme Court judge
Matthew Howard was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, commencing July 17.
Howard has been an acting parliamentary inspector for WA’s Corruption and Crime Commission since 2016.
WA attorney general John Quigley said Howard was well equipped “to shoulder the demanding workload in the Supreme Court”.
Equity Division of NSW Supreme Court appointments
Anthony McGrath and Scott Nixon were appointed as NSW Supreme Court’s Equity Division judges.
Both are senior counsels, with McGrath’s principal areas of practice including equity and commercial, while Nixon’s specialisations include class actions and professional negligence claims.
Nixon will be sworn in on August 8, and McGrath will be sworn in on August 15.
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