Jane Supit (left) is the new Deputy Chief Solicitor at the office of the Australian Government Solicitor. Jesse Murphy (centre) has been appointed as Senior Executive Lawyer at the Australian Government Solicitor. Terresa Bui has been appointed as Chief of Staff of AUSTRAC. Photos: Australian Government Solicitor and LinkedIn.
A breakdown of the latest appointments and moves in the Australian Public Service, the wider public sector and across the public services of the states and territories.
APS Senior Executive Service
Band 1
Jesse Murphy has been appointed as Senior Executive Lawyer at the Australian Government Solicitor.
Katia Tsiolkas has been promoted to Compliance Branch general manager at the Clean Energy Regulator.
Terresa Bui has been appointed as Chief of Staff of the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) within the Department of Home Affairs.
Stephanie Aeuckens has been promoted to Assistant Secretary, Policy and Program Management in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Rohan Haslam is the new Deputy Director Corporate at the National Museum of Australia.
Band 2
Jane Supit is the new Deputy Chief Solicitor at the office of the Australian Government Solicitor.
Lisa Barlin has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Defence Housing Australia.
Shane West has been promoted to executive general manager, property in Defence Housing Australia.
Jennifer Stace has been appointed as First Assistant Secretary, Domestic Aviation and Reform in the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts.
Band 3
Celia Street has been appointed as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
Jennifer Stace (left) has been appointed as First Assistant Secretary, Domestic Aviation and Reform in the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts. Rohan Haslam is the new Deputy Director Corporate at the National Museum of Australia. Katia Tsiolkas has been promoted to Compliance Branch general manager at the Clean Energy Regulator. Photos: DITRDCSA, National Museum of Australia, LinkedIn.
Other federal appointments
The Federal Government announced on 23 December the appointment of four new judges to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2). Amelia Edwards and Philippa Mitchell have been appointed to the Melbourne Registry, Corey Jenkins to the Townsville Registry, and Frances Neilson to the Parramatta Registry of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, with all appointments effective from 3 February.
On 23 December, Professor Zoe Wainer was appointed as the first Director-General of the Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) from 1 March, to succeed Acting Director-General Paul McCormack.
Professor Wainer brings more than two decades of leadership across government, healthcare, academia and global health, and currently serves as Deputy Secretary for Community and Public Health in the Victorian Department of Health.
On 19 December, the government announced the reappointment of Peter Duncan as chair and Dr Collette Burke as deputy chair of the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) Board for further three-year terms.
Mr Duncan has been the chair of the ARTC Board since January 2023. Dr Burke has served as a non-executive director of the ARTC Board since January 2023, was appointed ARTC deputy chair in June 2025, and currently serves as the interim chair of the Inland Rail Pty Limited Board.
On 19 December, the government announced the appointment of a new convener, deputy convener and four new members to the Classification Review Board, an independent statutory body set up to review Classification Board decisions.
The appointments include the Deputy General Counsel at the New South Wales Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water and board director of the Royal Zoological Society, Alice Yan, as convener; and part-time member of the Review Board and Classification Officer at SBS, Damien Power, as deputy convener.
New members include senior legal and regulatory professional Bonnie Cooney; arbitration consultant and teaching associate Brook Hely; media production, communications and business professional Wendy Jasper; and General Counsel for Australian children’s entertainment group The Wiggles, Matthew Salgo.
The government announced on 19 December the reappointment of Siobhan McKenna as chair and Robyn Clubb as a non-executive director of the Australia Post Board for further three-year terms.
On 17 December, the former Chief of the Royal Australian Navy Vice Admiral (Ret’d) Russell Crane was appointed as the new commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) for an initial three-year term.
VADM Crane served in the RAN for 40 years before retiring as Chief in 2011, and will succeed Gary Prosser as commissioner.
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth announced on 16 December that Natalie James will conclude her term as Secretary of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations on 18 January, and that Tania Rishniw will act as Secretary until a permanent replacement is appointed.
On 11 December, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland announced the appointment of Craig Lenehan SC as a judge of the Federal Court of Australia.
The government announced on 11 December the appointment of Ben Quilty, and the reappointment of Sally Scales, as members of the National Gallery of Australia Council.
On 2 December, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King announced the appointment of private equity investment and banking specialist Neil MacDonald as the new chief executive officer of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) for a five-year term, to succeed Craig Doyle, who is retiring.
Mr MacDonald previously served as CFO of the government-owned National Intermodal Corporation Limited. He has previously worked as head of corporate finance for Mining and Primary Steel, head of corporate finance for Klesch Group Limited, and executive director and Head of Project Finance Asia Pacific for JP Morgan.
Lisa Barlin (left) has been appointed as chief operating officer of Defence Housing Australia. Retired Vice Admiral Russ Crane is the new commissioner of the ATSB. Professor Zoe Wainer will be the first Director-General of the Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC), from 1 March. Photos: DHA, ATSB, Victorian Department of Health.
States and territories
The Queensland Government announced on 18 December the appointment of Jo Glynn and David Stevens as new directors to the board of CS Energy.
Paralympian Angela Ballard has been appointed by the Queensland Government as Recent Paralympian Director on the board of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee, to replace Kurt Fearnley, who recently resigned from the board.
The South Australian Government has appointed Adam Kilvert as the new chief executive of TAFE SA. Mr Kilvert has been serving as interim chief executive since July 2025.
The Victorian Government announced on 22 December that Judge John Cain has been appointed as the new chair of the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), to take effect from 21 February to succeed Dr Samantha Smith as interim chair.
Tracy Beaton has been appointed as the Principal Commissioner of the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP), the Victorian Government announced on 17 December.
Victorian Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny announced on 16 December the appointment of 12 new magistrates and two County Court judges.
Eight new magistrates – Emily Allan, Davide Barrese, Zoe Broughton, Aviram (Avi) Furstenberg, Kartya Gracer, Michael Hoyle, Zubin Menon and Samantha Seoud – will join courts across Victoria.
Four more magistrates – Brendan Annear, Isabelle Harrison, Teresa Porritt and Melanie Younis – will serve in the Children’s Court, while two new County Court judges – former Deputy Chief Magistrate Susan Wakeling and barrister Anthony Lewis – replace retiring judges Elizabeth Gaynor and Michael Cahill.
Dr Stephen Paul Donaghue KC has been appointed to the Victorian Court of Appeal, while Judge Melissa Daly will join the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal as a vice-president.
The Western Australian Government announced on 2 January the appointment of Neema Premji and Louise Pratt as non-executive directors of the Water Corporation Board. It also announced that deputy chair Helen Creed had stepped down from the board on 31 December and will be replaced in due course, while CEO Pat Donovan also concluded his tenure on the board but will remain as CEO.
On 24 December, the Western Australian Government announced the appointment of Dr Vanessa Torres as the new chair of the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA), to succeed Miriam Stanborough for a three-year term.
The government also announced that existing board member Gerard Danckert will succeed Dr Linda Tompkins as deputy chair of the MRIWA from 1 March, Dr Michelle Carey has been appointed for a three-year term from 1 March, and that Rylee Campbell and Michele Spencer have been reappointed for three-year terms from 1 February.
Western Australian Electoral Affairs Minister David Michael announced on 22 December that Dennis O’Reilly has been appointed as the WA Electoral Commissioner, succeeding Robert Kennedy from 31 January for a five-year term. Rebecca Hamilton assumed the WA Deputy Electoral Commissioner role on 1 January.
Western Australian Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael announced on 16 December the appointment of John Van Der Wielen as the new non-executive chair of Gold Corporation, the operator of The Perth Mint, to succeed Sam Walsh from 1 January.
Western Australian Attorney General Dr Tony Buti announced a number of key legal appointments on 16 December.
Jean Shaw SC has been appointed as Solicitor-General of Western Australia, effective 5 January. She is the first woman to hold the title. Ms Shaw comes to the role after 23 years with the State Solicitor’s Office, including as Acting State Counsel, Adviser to the State Counsel, Senior Assistant State Counsel, and State Counsel.
Justice Fiona Seaward SC has been appointed as a judge of the Court of Appeal of Western Australia, effective 5 January.
Craig Bydder SC has been appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, effective 5 January.
Matthew Zilko SC has been reappointed as Parliamentary Inspector of the Corruption and Crime Commission of Western Australia (CCC), effective 17 December, 2025, for a further five-year term.
Former Supreme Court Justice Andrew Beech has been appointed Acting Parliamentary Inspector, effective 17 December, 2025.
The Western Australian Government announced on 12 December the appointment of Paula Rogers as the inaugural independent chair of the Queen Elizabeth II Precinct Leadership Group (PLG).
The precinct is based at Perth’s Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre (QEII) and is designed to enhance collaboration between universities, health service providers and industry, resulting in significant improvements to research translation and innovation in WA.
