The Water Cooler: Comings and goings in the APS

A breakdown of the latest appointments in the Australian Public Service and across the public services of the states and territories.

APS Senior Executive Service

Band 1

Simon O’Brien is branch manager for government initiatives and Edward Holicky is branch manager at the Office of Agency Accessibility and Inclusion, following their promotions at the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

Defence has made James Nilsson general counsel for commercial and Jennifer Makunde the next assistant secretary of finance, specialist groups and capability costing.

The Department of Home Affairs has appointed Zoe Moses as an assistant secretary.

Other federal

NFF CEO to become Energy Infrastructure Commissioner

The National Farmers Federation (NFF) will lose its chief executive officer (CEO) Tony Mahar in December, after he was recently made the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner.

It comes after a decade of service to the agricultural sector, joining the NFF in 2013 as general manager of trade and economics before entering his current role in 2016.

Thanks to his efforts, the NFF has grown from a small team to a staff of more than 40 with a broader membership base and stable financial position.

Merit Protection Commissioner appointed following long vacancy

The senior public servant who led the Australian Public Service Commission’s Robodebt inquiry into code of conduct breaches has been appointed to a full-time position left vacant since December 2022.

Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher named Jamie Lowe as the new Merit Protection Commissioner, starting Monday, 30 September.

As first assistant commissioner at the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC), Ms Lowe recently completed the agency’s 14-month Centralised Code of Conduct Inquiry Taskforce established in response to the Robodebt Royal Commission Report.

Leonard Hill made CEO of AIATSIS

The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) now has Leonard Hill as CEO for a four-year term.

AIATSIS is Australia’s only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led national cultural institution. It recently expanded its presence outside of Canberra for the first time, opening a new office in Alice Springs.

Mr Hill, a proud Ngemba man from north-west New South Wales, has a wealth of experience in Indigenous affairs, having worked across federal and state governments, as well as Aboriginal community organisations, over three decades.

Mayor Matt Burnett is next president of ALGA

The Federal Government has welcomed the appointment of Mayor Matt Burnett as the newly elected president of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA).

As ALGA national president, Mayor Burnett will represent the Australian local government sector on the national stage, including the Australian Council of Local Governments (ACLG), the Local Government Ministers’ Forum, as well as at meetings of the National Cabinet and other Australian Government forums.

He brings extensive experience in the local government sector, having served for 24 years, including as ALGA’s vice-president since 2020, as the Mayor of Queensland’s Gladstone Regional Council since 2016 and before that as Deputy Mayor for five years.

The Mayor also represents Central Queensland on the Local Government Association of Queensland Policy Executive and is a director on the board.

Local Government Minister Catherine King thanked outgoing president Linda Scott for her service to the sector since 2012.

AEMC welcomes two new Commissioners

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has appointed Lana Stockman and Rainer Korte as Commissioners from 30 September.

AEMC is the expert energy policy adviser to Australian governments. The Commissioners are responsible for its strategic direction, statutory rule-making, and market development functions.

Ms Stockman brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors, including seven years as a regulator and board member with the New Zealand Electricity Authority.

Mr Korte was most recently responsible for overseeing the delivery of electricity transmission services to customers while leading key energy transformation initiatives in South Australia.

In other news, the AEMC has reappointed two members of its Reliability Panel and opened up nominations for a new market customer representative.

The panel plays a key role in supporting a safe, secure and reliable national electricity system and is responsible for recommending the reliability standard and market settings, such as the market price cap.

Peter Price from Energy Queensland and Melissa Perrow from Brickworks have been reappointed to the Reliability Panel, continuing their roles as Distribution Network Service Provider (DNSP) representative and discretionary member representing large energy users, respectively.

Kate Fielding joins National Museum of Australia Council

The National Museum of Australia (NMA) has appointed prominent arts and culture leader Kate Fielding to the organisation’s Council for a three-year term.

She has worked across the cultural heritage sector, including as an executive officer of the History Council of Victoria (2007-08), a community development coordinator in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, Western Australia (2008-11) and as a consultant in cultural and regional development (2011-18).

Ms Fielding has also served on a variety of boards, including Regional Arts Australia (2011-16), the Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission (2014-18), the Western Australia Regional Development Council (2016-18) and the Australia Council of the Arts (2016-18).

Will Kostakis joins Public Lending Right Committee

Arts Minister Tony Burke has welcomed the appointment of Will Kostakis to the Public Lending Right Committee as an author representative for a four-year term.

The committee is responsible for the administration of the Public Lending Right Scheme, which ensures Australian book publishers and creators are compensated for the free multiple use of their work in Australian public and educational lending libraries.

Mr Kostakis is a bestselling author who, as a high school student, won The Sydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year Award for a collection of short stories.

Amanda Heyworth joins National Archives Council

The Federal Government has appointed Amanda Heyworth as a member of the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council for a three-year term.

The National Archives is Australia’s federal record-collecting agency, preserving and managing documents and other evidence that record important events in Australian history, and making them available to the public.

Ms Heyworth currently holds chair positions at UniSA Ventures Pty Ltd and the Centennial Park Cemetery Authority, and is a non‑executive director at People First Bank and Commissioner of the Essential Services Commission of South Australia.

Andrew Metcalfe to be Gardiner Foundation’s chair-elect

Andrew Metcalfe AO, a former senior Australian public servant and policymaker, has been nominated as chair-elect of the Gardiner Foundation.

Gardiner Dairy Foundation invests in research and development, people capability and community development to benefit the Victorian dairy industry.

Mr Metcalfe grew up in regional Queensland and spent time on his uncles’ dairy farms in the Darling Downs. He retired as secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry last year, after being elected national president of the Institute of Public Administration Australia.

Two justices enter the Federal Court

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has announced Lisa Doust and Vanessa Jane Leishman as new judges of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2).

Ms Doust has been appointed to the Sydney Registry and Ms Leishman to the Canberra Registry. They will begin their roles on 14 October.

Experts confirmed for NSW Social Media Summit

An esteemed group of internationally renowned and local expert speakers and panellists has been confirmed by the NSW Government to take part in next month’s Social Media Summit.

The first-of-its-kind two-day, two-state summit, jointly hosted by the South Australian Government, will bring together leading experts, policymakers, young people and other community voices to discuss the critical issues surrounding social media use.

Panellists taking part include:

• Dr Rachel Kowert (Canada) – Author and researcher on the uses and effects of digital games
• Ariana Kurzeme – Director, policy & prevention at Alannah & Madeline Foundation
• Dr Zac Seidler – Global director of men’s health research at Movember
• Dr Michael Carr-Gregg – Child and adolescent psychologist
• Julie Inman Grant – eSafety Commissioner
• Dr Jonathon Hutchinson – Chair of Discipline of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney
• Dr Cynthia Miller-Idriss – Professor in the School of Public Affairs and in the School of Education at the American University and founding director of the Polarisation and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab
• Dr Paul Byron – Senior lecturer at University of Technology Sydney
• Rosie Thomas OAM – Co-founder and executive director of Project Rockit
• Dr Joanne Orlando – Researcher, author and expert in digital wellbeing for families and young people
• Dr Kerry Chant – NSW Chief Health Officer
• Dr Murray Wright – NSW Chief Psychiatrist
• Lydia Khalil – Program director of the Transnational Challenges Program at the Lowy Institute. She will be the NSW Summit’s rapporteur.

A full line-up of the speakers and panellists will be published online ahead of the event (10-11 October), along with a live-stream link.

States and Territories

Annette Pitman to be CEO of Museums of History NSW

Museums of History NSW, the primary custodian and advocate of the state’s cultural history, has a new CEO – Annette Pitman.

Established in December 2022, Museums of History NSW is a state cultural institution. It brings together the historic houses, museums and collections previously in the care of Sydney Living Museums with the vast archives and records in the NSW State Archives Collection.

As chief executive of Create NSW for the past two and a half years, Ms Pitman led the revitalisation of Sydney’s Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, The Gunnery and many other significant cultural spaces and oversaw the development of the state’s first Arts, Culture and Creative Industries policy, Creative Communities.

Commissioners appointed to lead NSW consultation with Aboriginal people

The NSW Government has appointed three commissioners to lead consultation on a treaty process with Aboriginal people and communities across the state: former senator Aden Ridgeway, academic Dr Todd Fernando and Koori Mail newspaper CEO Naomi Moran.

Together they will head a 12-month consultation to hear from the largest Aboriginal population in Australia. Indigenous communities will be asked whether they want an agreement-making process with government, and if so, what form that process could take.

The commissioners have been appointed for a fixed term of two years following an open, competitive process led by an independent Aboriginal advisory panel.

Visit Victoria appoints Andrew Penn as new chair

Andrew Penn has been appointed as the new chair of Visit Victoria, the agency responsible for attracting visitors to the state for work and play.

Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos announced the replacement for current chair Janet Whiting AM, who has stepped away after five years in the role.

Mr Penn has worked in senior roles across the public and private sectors. From 2015 to 2022, he was CEO of Telstra, but also served as chair of the Commonwealth Government’s Industry Advisory Committee on Cyber Security.

Media personality and sports administrator Eddie McGuire AM has been reappointed to his role as director on Visit Victoria’s board.

Katrina Sedgwick joins ABC Board

Victorian Creative Industries Minister Colin Brooks has welcomed the appointment of Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation director and CEO Katrina Sedgwick to the board of the ABC.

As the only Victorian on the board, she will bring a wealth of experience to the role that succeeds outgoing member Peter Lewis.

Ms Sedgwick is the former CEO of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, but has also held executive and board positions at the Adelaide Film Festival, Back to Back Theatre, the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, Chunky Move, the Art Gallery of South Australia, and the Australian Film Television and Radio School. She served as Head of Arts at the ABC from 2012 to 2015.

John Collins is Queensland’s first Night-Life Economy Commissioner

The Queensland Government has made John Collins its first Night-Life Economy Commissioner, following a $1.6 million funding injection to support the state’s live music industry.

Mr Collins is co-owner and venue director of the Fortitude Valley Music Hall and the Triffid, a vice-president of QMusic, and a board member of the Brisbane Economic Development Agency.

Key appointments made for mine safety in Queensland

Heidi Roberts has been appointed as the Commissioner for Resources Safety and Health and Rob Djukic is now CEO of the independent health and safety regulator Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ).

Both positions went through a rigorous tripartite selection process involving both industry and workers’ representative groups.

Ms Roberts is a partner at Corrs Chambers Westgarth, while Mr Djukic most recently served as RSHQ’s chief operating officer.

New magistrate for Southport

The Queensland Government has appointed prominent criminal law practitioner Dominic Brunello to the Southport Magistrates Court.

Mr Brunello began his career as a solicitor in private practice before serving with various community legal support services, including the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia, notably as in-house criminal counsel.

He has successfully argued appeals in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, and has twice appeared before the High Court of Australia.

WA names 2025 Youth Week Ambassadors

Youth Minister Hannah Beazley has welcomed the new ambassadors for Youth Week WA 2025, the largest annual celebration of young people aged 10 to 25 in Western Australia.

Twenty-three-year-old Melissa Lee is a programs officer at Canteen Australia, where she is responsible for coordinating and facilitating events for young people aged 12-to-25 impacted by a cancer diagnosis.

Daisy Pilsworth, 19, is a special needs education assistant in the Pilbara region, where she supports students in consultation with teachers, parents and professionals.

Om Sharma, also 19, is studying for a Bachelor of Communications and works as a communications officer at the Department of Communities.

Twenty-two-year-old Emily Sullivan is a proud youth advocate in the disability, mental health and LGBTQIA+ communities.

The event will be launched in Karratha with a special opening event to kick-start a week of celebrations across WA from 10 to 17 April.

Tasmania appoints Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure

Liberal Member for Prosser Kerry Vincent has been appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure in Tasmania.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the former Mayor of Sorell would play a key role in their $5.1 billion infrastructure agenda, including projects such as the Macquarie Point Precinct in Hobart.