A breakdown of the latest appointments, public hearings and open consultations in the Australian Public Service and across the public services of the states and territories.
APS Senior Executive Service
Band 1
Rebecca Carpenter is the new chief of staff for the Home Affairs Secretary.
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has promoted Jacqueline Hickey to executive director of river management.
Helen Wilson is the next assistant commissioner of the system integrity program at the Australian Taxation Office.
Coming from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Shane Lysons-Smith is the new assistant secretary for Integrity at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Natasha Sekulic is the assistant commissioner of general counsel at the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, leaving her former role at the Australian Taxation Office.
Band 2
Miriam Moore has been promoted to chief counsel at the Department of Health and Aged Care.
The new chief of place and communities at Geoscience Australia is Maree Wilson.
Katrina Tonkin has been made chief operating officer and executive director of business services at the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
Other Federal
OAIC elected to international body of information commissioners
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has been elected to the Executive Committee of the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC).
The ICIC is an international body of information commissioners and ombudsmen who foster the protection and promotion of access to public information as a fundamental pillar of social, economic and democratic governance.
During its latest meeting in Tirana, Albania, the eight-member Executive Committee voted to accept Australia into its ranks.
Acting Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd said it was a tremendous honour to be able to advance the ICIC’s objectives nationally with the support of a powerful and credible international community.
“Open government is essential to a participative democracy,” Ms Tydd said. “We are actively building a public sector culture of open government and collectively our mission is to uplift this capability.
“FOI practices must reflect the purpose of the FOI Act – to increase public participation in government processes; increase scrutiny, discussion and comment on government activities; and importantly, ensure that government information is treated as a national resource and managed for a public purpose.
“I look forward to sharing lessons learned as we work to uplift access to information globally and, in doing so, foster democracy.”
Elizabeth Tydd said as a modern democracy, Australia’s leadership in information access was now in the spotlight and we had a great deal to contribute. Photo: LinkedIn/Elizabeth Tydd.
Professor Larissa Behrendt appointed to National Library Council
The National Library of Australia Council has brought on Professor Larissa Behrendt AO as a part-time member.
The council is the National Library’s governing body, responsible for setting the library’s overall strategic direction.
Professor Behrendt is a Euahleyai/Gamillaroi academic, lawyer, award-winning author and filmmaker, and a distinguished professor and laureate fellow at the University of Technology Sydney. She established the research arm of the Jumbunna Institute, a leading Indigenous-led research centre at the University of Technology Sydney.
Arts Minister Tony Burke said Professor Behrendt’s extensive professional and academic experience made her the perfect choice to ensure Australian stories continued to be recorded and saved for future generations.
The National Library ensures documents of national significance relating to Australia and the Australian people, as well as significant non-Australian library materials, are collected, preserved and made accessible for future generations.
It also maintains Trove, which brings together collections from Australian libraries, universities, museums, galleries and archives and makes them accessible to the public.
Professor Larissa Behrendt was made an AO in 2020 for her work in Indigenous education, the law and the arts. Photo: Australian Human Rights Commission.
Inaugural Women in STEM Ambassador makes her exit
After nearly six years, Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith has left her position as Australia’s first Women in STEM Ambassador.
The Australian Government established the Women in STEM Ambassador program to advance gender equity in STEM as part of the Advancing Women in STEM Strategy. The government invested $4.8 million in the program from 2018-19 to 2023-24.
Major achievements during astrophysics professor Harvey-Smith’s term include:
- Launching Future You – a national awareness-raising initiative to get 8-12-year-olds interested in STEM. The Australian Government funded Future You between 2019 and May 2024. From June 2024, the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney will fund Future You
- Supporting 152 STEM equity programs via the STEM Equity Evaluation Portal – a database and best practice guide for the STEM sector to evaluate equity programs
- Improving the evidence base for action through research such as the Grants by Gender study – looking at the awarding of research grants in Australia by the Australian Research Council and National Health and Medical Research Council according to awardee gender.
After nearly six years, Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith has left her position as Australia’s first Women in STEM Ambassador. Photo: lisaharveysmith.com.
New chairperson of Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Dr Elizabeth Woods OAM has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC).
Before her appointment, Dr Woods spent more than 30 years working as an experienced governance practitioner, including as director-general of the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Currently, she is chair of the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences Council and a Commissioner for International Agricultural Research at the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
Fisheries Minister Murray Watt said Dr Woods’ appointment was important as the FRDC finalised the priorities identified in its Research Development and Extension Plan for 2020-2025, and developed and implemented a new plan to be released in 2025.
Dr Elizabeth Woods’ three-year term as chairperson of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation began on 3 June. Photo: University of Queensland.
States and Territories
Directors appointed to Racing Victoria Board
Racing Minister Anthony Carbines has welcomed Mark Player and Tim Rourke as two new directors on the board of Racing Victoria.
Mr Player has more than 25 years of experience in the racing industry and is currently the executive chairman of Macedon Lodge, an equine training facility.
Mr Rourke has served as the chief executive officer for CitiPower and Powercor since 2013, and in May 2017 also became the CEO and managing director of United Energy.
The board will now nominate a director to be the chair, for the Minister’s approval, and will also select a deputy chair, with announcements expected this month.
Sheila McHale is the new chair of the WA Museum board
The Western Australian Museum Board of Trustees has welcomed Sheila McHale AM as its new chair.
Ms McHale replaces Melissa Parke, who served on the board from 2020, initially as a trustee and then as chair.
Before her appointment, Ms McHale was a Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2008 and a Cabinet minister for eight years, holding portfolios including culture and the arts.
The board has also welcomed writer, publisher and owner of Upswell Publishing, Terri-Ann White, along with Gary McGrath and Warren Pearce.
Since leaving Parliament, Sheila McHale’s core focus has been as the CEO of Palmerston Association – one of WA’s foremost alcohol and other drugs rehabilitation services. Photo: AIM WA.
WA Government’s new innovation advisory board looking for members
The Western Australian Government is looking for members to join the state’s inaugural Innovation Advisory Board.
The board is set to act as an independent voice for the innovation sector and is aiming to represent 11 diverse elements of the industry. This includes Indigenous, youth, small business, corporate and investment.
Those who are successful in becoming a board member will be appointed for a two-year term; however, the role is honorary and will not be remunerated.
Once established, the board will advise and support the Innovation and Digital Economy Minister Stephen Dawson, and work towards implementing the goals of the government’s Innovation Strategy.
The Innovation Strategy was developed after consultation with more than 600 members of WA’s innovation ecosystem. The strategy outlines a decade-long vision for WA to become a global centre of invention, investment, innovation and impact.
SA First Nations Voice holds inaugural meeting
The State Voice – comprising the 12 members from each of the six local Voices and appointed by their peers – met for the first time in Adelaide last week, mapping out how it intends to operate as an advocate on behalf of Aboriginal communities of South Australia.
Along with the inaugural meeting were two appointments:
Tahlia Wanganeen has been elected to the Central region, due to her experience as the current chairperson of the SA NAIDOC committee and professional roles in Aboriginal rights advocacy.
Leeroy Bilney was elected to the West and West Coast region due to her significant role as an aspiring leader advocating for and supporting Aboriginal people in Ceduna and surrounding communities.
In March last year, South Australia became the first jurisdiction in the country to create a First Nations Voice to Parliament. Photo: @TKoutsantonisMP.
Peak body for Aboriginal children and families named as SA begins search for CEO
The newly named Wakwakurna Kanyini organisation has been established as a peak body to amplify the voices of South Australian Aboriginal children and families, with recruitment underway for its inaugural CEO.
Wakwakurna Kanyini, meaning ”holding on to our children”, was chosen as a name by the steering committee to guide the peak body’s goal as a strong and independent community voice caring for and nurturing children.
Wakwakurna is the Kaurna word for children, while Kanyini is a Pitjantjatjara word with a complex meaning that loosely translates to interconnectedness, nurture and support for family, Country and community.
Tasmanian Liberal MP Gavin Pearce to leave parliament
The Liberal Member for Braddon, Gavin Pearce, will not seek re-election at the next federal election.
“During my two terms in politics, I have given this role my everything,” Mr Pearce said to Tasmanian Parliament.
“I can sincerely and honestly say I could not have done more, and I genuinely believe the region is in a better position than when I commenced my service.”
The Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Aged Care and Indigenous Health Services said after two decades in politics across the defence force and agriculture, there had been little time at home with his two young girls and partner.
“They are my family who I rarely see, let alone spend time with. The time has come to make them my priority.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff hailed Mr Pearce’s time in office as a “fierce advocate for the North West, West Coast and King Island” – particularly for those living in rural and regional areas, and working in the island state’s primary industries.
Gavin Pearce discussing infrastructure with shadow minister, Senator Bridget McKenzie. Photo: Facebook/Gavin Pearce MP.
Justice Meredith Huntingford appointed to Supreme Court of Northern Territory
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Chansey Paech has announced the appointment of Meredith Day Huntingford to the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory.
Justice Huntingford was an Acting Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from December 2021 to March 2023, and an Acting Judge of the NT’s Supreme Court from May 2023.
From October 2019 until her appointment as an Acting Associate Justice in the Supreme Court, Justice Meredith Huntingford served as a Local Court Judge in Darwin and Alice Springs. Photo: NT Government.
Open for consultation
Rapid uptake of automated decision-making and machine learning in the workplace
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training has begun a new inquiry calling on workers, employers, software developers and providers, academics, employer groups and trade unions regarding the digital transformation of workplaces across Australia. Submissions are welcome until 21 June.
Response to PwC – regulation of accounting, auditing and consulting firms in Australia
Treasury is seeking feedback on a paper identifying priorities to strengthen regulatory arrangements for the accounting, auditing and consulting firms in Australia. Feedback is open until 28 June.
Application for WA Pearl Oyster Fishery
The current export approval for the Western Australian Pearl Oyster Fishery expires on 30 May, 2025, and the fishery is undergoing assessment for ongoing export accreditation. The public consultation period for the assessment will be open until 5 July.
Release of draft Good Institutional Practice Guide
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has opened for consultation its draft guide, which aims to provide NHMRC-funded institutions and NHMRC-funded researchers with direction on good institutional practice to promote open, honest, supportive and respectful institutional cultures conducive to the conduct of high-quality research. Submissions close on 10 July.
Nation survey on telecommunications issues throughout regional Australia
The Federal Government has – for the first time – released its Regional Telecommunications Review survey, providing a way for regional, rural and remote Australians to easily give feedback on how they are experiencing telecommunications in their communities. The short online survey closes on 31 July.
Improving crane licensing under the model WHS laws
Safe Work Australia is seeking feedback on six detailed proposals for changes that could be made to crane licensing to improve safety and ensure the licensing system keeps pace with changing work practices and technology. Submissions for the discussion paper are open until 31 July.
For information on all the state and territory government projects open for consultation, follow the links below:
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- Victoria
- South Australia
- Western Australia
- Tasmania
- Northern Territory
- Australian Capital Territory
Federal Parliament Public Hearings
Wednesday (19 June):
Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union – Joint Standing Committee on Treaties
Time: 12-2 pm; Chamber: Joint; Location: Committee Room 1R4, Parliament House, Canberra, ACT.
Friday (21 June):
Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society
Time: TBA; Chamber: Joint; Location: Committee Room 2S3, Parliament House, Canberra, ACT.
