Movers & Shakers: Kean for CCA, first ART members revealed

Senior Executive Service

Band 1

Maria Shanahan is now assistant secretary at the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR).

Services Australia has named six national managers — Jagdish Mehra, Heather Ralph, Joanna Zhu, Praphul Palekar, Stacey Whiting and Peter Foley.

The Department of Defence has promoted Gregory Tickle to band 1.

Band 2

Treasurer appoints productivity commissioners

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has made four full-time appointments to the Productivity Commission.

Selwyn Button is a Gungarri man from southwest Queensland and an experienced leader of health, education and governance organisations across the public, private, not-for-profit and community sectors.

He has been a partner for PwC’s Indigenous Consulting (PIC) since 2021. Prior to this, Selwyn was the national registrar at the Office for Indigenous Corporations, the assistant director-general for Indigenous Education in Queensland, CEO of the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council, and chair of the Lowitja Institute.

Alison Roberts was the inaugural CEO of Airlines for Australia & New Zealand (A4ANZ) and has previously worked as an executive at the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and as director of South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network. Her most recent role was as the deputy chair of the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation.

Alison has a PhD in change management from the University of Sydney, focused on the implementation of evidence-informed policy and programs in primary care.

Barry Sterland has held senior positions in the Commonwealth departments of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Treasury and Climate Change and Energy. He led work for the government on climate policy including carbon pricing in 2006-2010 and has also worked on a range of industry, resource and energy issues. Most recently, Sterland was a partner for KPMG’s climate policy advisory.

Catherine de Fontenay has been reappointed for another five-year term at the commission. First appointed in July 2019, de Fontenay has produced reports for the commission on higher education, carer leave, aged care, finance and supply chain vulnerabilities. Prior to joining the Productivity Commission, she worked in academia — most recently as associate professor of economics at the University of Melbourne.

She is the president of the Economic Society of Australia

Kean picked for Climate Change Authority

The government has chosen former NSW treasurer and environment minister Matt Kean as the next chair of the Climate Change Authority.

Kean is a former minister in the NSW liberal government, once widely tipped to be a future premier. He bowed out of the leadership contest following their loss at the last NSW election before announcing his retirement from politics last week.

He will replace outgoing chair Grant King when King departs at the end of August.

Kean is the second former NSW Liberal minister to be given a job by the Albanese government, following the appointment of Victor Dominello to a Services Australia advisory role last November.

The government has also appointed Patty Akopiantz a member of the authority.

Inaugural ART members revealed

The reappointment of 72 members of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal has revealed the first iteration of its successor organisation, the Administrative Review Tribunal.

The 72 appointees are current members of the AAT whose existing appointments expire on June 30,  2024. Each appointee will transition to the ART.

Kathryn Millar and Shahyar Roushan have been named non-judicial deputy presidents, alongside 14 senior members and 56 members.

Senior members

• Margret Bourke
• Nicole Burns
• Gabrielle Cullen
• Tamara Hamilton-Noy
• Michael Ison
• Nicholas Manetta
• Alison Mercer
• Louise Nicholls
• Andrew Nikolic AM CSC
• Robert Olding
• John Rau SC
• Meenakshi Sripathy
• Linda Symons
• Alexander Ward AM

Members

• Robyn Anderson
• William Appleton
• Wendy Banfield
• David Barker
• Angela Beckett
• Alexandra Bordujenko
• Christhilde Breheny
• Moira Brophy
• Tina Bubutievski
• Anna Burke AO
• Alexander Byers
• Jennifer Cavanagh
• Justine Clarke
• Christine Cody
• Damian Creedon
• Rachel Da Costa
• John Devereux
• Antonio Dronjic
• Peter Emmerton
• Stewart Fenwick
• Tania Flood
• Lana Gallagher
• Nicholas Gaudion
• Nathan Goetz
• Anne Grant
• Peter Haag
• George Hallwood
• Genevieve Hamilton
• Jessica Henderson
• Susan Hoffman
• Linda Holub
• Penelope Hunter
• Christine Kannis
• Nora Lamont
• Julia Leonard
• Simon Letch
• Kate Malyon
• Geoffrey Markov
• Melissa McAdam
• David McCulloch
• Andrew McLean-Williams
• Alan McMurran
• Lilly Mojsin
• Marianna Moustafine
• Jade Murphy
• Paul Noonan
• Steven Norman
• Jason Pennell
• Julie Quinlivan
• Tamara Quinn
• Peter Ranson
• Frank Russo
• Wan Shum
• David Thompson
• Richard West
• Paul Windsor

Former UK commissioner gets top tax job

Ruth Owen has been named Australia’s next inspector‑general of taxation (IGT) for a five‑year period.

Owen is currently deputy secretary of the NSW Premier’s Department, leading the strategic implementation group.

She has previously been a director-general and tax commissioner of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in the UK, head of profession in the UK Civil Service and deputy secretary of the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education.

She replaces outgoing inspector Karen Payne on 15 July 2024.

Outgoing governor-general names new secretary

David Hurley has appointed Gerard Martin secretary to the governor-general for a five-year term.

Martin will act in the role from July 1, when new governor-general Sam Mostyn will be sworn in. His term will officially commence on August 4.

Martin has been a public servant for over 25 years. He is currently the first assistant secretary at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

He was awarded a Public Service Medal for outstanding support and advice to the Prime Minister in 2023.

Board cleared at Australian Research Council

A new independent board has been selected to guide the Australian Research Council (ARC).

This delivers on a recommendation from a comprehensive review last year, which found Research Council grant recommendations were being overruled by ministers.

Peter Shergold has been appointed chair, and Susan Dodds has been appointed deputy chair.

Shergold has served as a public service secretary for two decades, including for the Departments of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Education, Science and Training. Most recently, he was chancellor of Western Sydney University.

Dodds was most recently senior deputy vice-chancellor and vice-president of research and industry engagement at La Trobe University. She served as a panel member of the independent review of the ARC and the outgoing ARC Advisory Committee.

The other board members will be:

• Maggie Walter
• Cindy Shannon
• Paul Wellings
• Margaret Harding
• Mark Stickells
• Sally-Ann Williams

Publisher joins Public Lending Rights Committee

Rachel Bin Salleh is the new Australian publisher representative on the Public Lending Rights Committee.

The committee is responsible for determining eligibility and approving payments under the Public and Educational Lending Right Schemes, which compensate Australian creators and publishers for the free multiple use of their books in public and educational libraries.

Bin Salleh is a Nimunburr and Yawuru woman from the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

She is the publisher at Magabala Books in Broome and has worked in publishing for more than 30 years.

In 2020, Bin Salleh was awarded the inaugural Writing WA Literary Lions Medal for services to literature.

Review of the foreign arrangements scheme

Rosemary Huxtable will lead an independent review of Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Act 2020.

The review will identify improvements to the security and investment provisions in the act.

Huxtable is a veteran public servant whose previous roles include secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Finance.

She has also worked for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Health.

Huxtable was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2005, and appointed an officer of the Order of Australia in 2023 for distinguished service to public administration.

Margaret and Carvalho join the National Film and Sound Archive

Tony Burke has announced Margaret Pomeranz and Karina Carvalho will join the board of the National Film and Sound Archive for a term of three years.

Pomeranz is one of Australia’s most recognisable television personalities. She has more than 40 years’ broadcasting experience and is best known as the co-host of At the Movies on ABC.

Her numerous other roles include presenter of screen for Foxtel, member of the Australian Film Institute Board, vice-president and president of Watch on Censorship, president of the Film Critics Circle of Australia, and member of the Advertising Standards Board.

In 2005, Pomeranz was made a member of the Order of Australia in recognition of her service to the film industry as a critic and reviewer.

Carvalho has 20 years’ experience in news journalism and broadcasting, including 17 years with the ABC.

She has worked in a number of presenter and journalist roles for ABC News across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and national channels since 2007. She is a multicultural ambassador for Cricket Australia.

Assistant commissioners join WA Mental Health Commission

Four assistant commissioners have joined Western Australia’s Mental Health Commission.

James Christian is a Wiradjuri person who has held senior executive positions in government and national not-for-profit organisations. He currently serves as CEO of the Council of Aboriginal Services in Western Australia.

Christian received a Public Service Medal in 2007 for service to Indigenous affairs.

Stephen Bright has previously held senior clinical and managerial positions at publicly-funded health services and is often called on to provide expert testimony at high-level inquiries.

Patricia Tran has significant experience providing peer work and suicide training across the sector through a wide range of providers, including Consumers of Mental Health WA. She is a sessional lecturer at Curtin University.

Wendy Cream has a family lived experience of mental health, alcohol and other drug issues and justice involvement. She has worked in a range of designated lived experience roles, including being the designated and sole family/carer member on the Ministerial Taskforce into Public Mental Health Services for Infants, Children and Adolescents aged 0 to 18 years in WA.

Wendy has over 30 years’ experience working in government and non-government roles with vulnerable communities in rural, remote and metropolitan areas.

Fremantle Ports CEO appointed

The next CEO of the Fremantle Port Authority will be Jodie Ransom.

Officially commencing on July 1, Ransom has been acting in the role since the unexpected death of former CEO Michael Parker in April.

She was previously the general manager of the Fremantle Port Authority and held senior positions with CBH, Svitzer and Alcoa.

Queensland RFS welcomes advisory committee

Queensland Fire and Disaster Recovery Minister Nikki Boyd has welcomed the inaugural Rural Fire Service Advisory Committee.

The inaugural committee is made up of 10 volunteer members, plus acting chief officer Ben Millington, southeastern region deputy chief officer Karen Hodges, southwestern assistant chief officer Wayne Waltisbuhl and central area manager Fiona Quirk.

The volunteers on the committee are:

• Northern region — Jim Besgrove from Rangewood Rural Fire Brigade and David McConnell from Tinaroo Rural Fire Brigade.
• Central region — Craig Smith from Aldershot Rural Fire Brigade and Colin Weeks from South Ulam Rural Fire Brigade.
• Southwestern region — Barbara Ryan from Ravensbourne/Perseverance Rural Fire Brigade and Sally Rowen from Broadwater Amiens Rural Fire Brigade.
• Southeastern region — Matthew Walker from Coomera Valley Rural Fire Brigade and Fabian Stangherlin from Greenbank Rural Fire Brigade.
• Rural Fire Brigade Association Queensland representative Ian Pike
• First Nations representative Chloe Swiney from northern region.

The appointment of members will be reviewed annually and a member will be able to serve for a maximum of two years.

The committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting in early July.

Tasmanian Fire and Emergency Services commissioner appointed

Jeremy Smith will be Tasmania’s first Fire and Emergency Services commissioner.

Smith is currently the acting chief officer joined the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS).

Over 36 years with the TFS, Smith has held operational and leadership positions at state, regional and district levels including director of community fire safety.

In 2021 Smith was seconded to manage property and procurement services for the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management, returning in 2022 as the Southern Regional Chief.

He was awarded a National Medal for his service in 2002 and an Australian Fire Service Medal in 2017.

Judges appointed to federal courts

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has appointed three new senior judges.

Jane Needham and Stephen McDonald will take the bench at the Federal Court of Australia and Tuskeen Jacobs will join the Federal Circuit and Family Court.

Needham was called to the New South Wales Bar in 1990 and was appointed senior counsel in 2004. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Technology.

McDonald was admitted to the Supreme Court of South Australia in 2004 and was called to the South Australian Bar in 2011. He was appointed senior counsel in 2020. McDonald holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Adelaide and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Adelaide.

Jacobs was admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2002. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from James Cook University.