A breakdown of the latest appointments in the Australian Public Service and across the public sector.
APS Senior Executive Service
Band 1
Christopher Davis is the next chief financial officer at the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
Kristie Bullock will head the ICT business and governance branch at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
Tori Harrington is assistant director of public prosecutions.
Meanwhile, at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Kelly Norwood has been named assistant commissioner in the debt-assist role for frontline services.
Band 2
Belinda Darling has been promoted to deputy commissioner for frontline resource management at the ATO.
Other federal
Chris Evans named Australia’s first Anti-Slavery Commissioner
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has announced the appointment of Chris Evans as the inaugural Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner, a five-year role in which he’ll serve from 2 December.
The Anti-Slavery Commissioner is expected to prevent and respond to modern slavery by supporting victims and survivors, raising community awareness and helping business address the risk of modern slavery practices in their operations and supply chains.
Mr Evans has served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Global Freedom Network of Walk Free, which works with faith leaders to end human trafficking and modern slavery. The organisation played a significant role in the campaign for introducing the Modern Slavery Bill 2018.
Before this, he was a senator for Western Australia between 1993 and 2013. He also served as Leader of the Government in the Senate (2007-13), Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (2007-10), Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations (2010-11), and Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research (2011-13).
From 2016 to 2020, Chris Evans also held the role of strategic engagement lead at Walk Free. Photo: Minderoo Foundation.
Stela Solar exits National AI Centre
The National AI Centre (NAIC) director Stela Solar has announced she will leave the role on 15 November, after being its inaugural head since the beginning of 2022.
Before her current role and ongoing service as co-chair of the Commonwealth AI Consortium, Ms Solar was Microsoft’s global director of AI solution sales and strategy. During her time at NAIC, it moved from the CSIRO to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) in July.
Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic thanked Stela Solar for her work, including developing the nation’s first set of AI safety standards. Photo: LinkedIn.
Annette Wah to head up National Film and Sound Archive
The Federal Government has named Annette Shun Wah as the next chair of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) Board, along with the reappointment of Lucinda Brogden AM as one of its members.
Ms Wah is currently the programming adviser for the Adelaide Festival Centre’s OzAsia Festival, where she was artistic director from 2020 to 2023, but also serves as director of the Sydney Theatre Company Board.
Mrs Brogden has been a member of the NFSA Board since December 2021 and currently serves on several others, including as chair of the Diabetes Australia Research Trust, director of the Corporate Mental Health Alliance, director at Australian Unity, and a director of Be Kind Sydney.
Annette Wah was appointed as deputy chair of the NFSA Board in October last year, but will begin as chair in December. Photo: Adelaide Festival Centre.
New member joins National Cultural Heritage Committee
The Federal Government has appointed Tina Baum as a member of the National Cultural Heritage Committee for a three-year term, along with the reappointments of Tim Sullivan, Simon Elliott, Jane Stewart and Louise Tegart.
The committee advises the government on matters of importance to Australia’s cultural heritage, and provides guidance on the export of items of cultural significance.
Ms Baum currently works as the senior curator of First Nations art at the National Gallery of Australia.
Tina Baum is a saltwater woman from the Gulumirrgin (Larrakia)/Wardaman/Karajarri peoples of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Photo: NGA.
Sam Meers to be next chair of National Portrait Gallery
The Federal Government has announced Sam Meers AO as a member and future chair of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia Board, with Penny Fowler serving as interim chair and Elizabeth Dibbs as a member for a three-year term.
Ms Fowler will serve as chair for the remainder of her final term, until March 2025, and will be succeeded by Ms Meers for a two-and-a-half-year term.
The latter is co-founder and chair of the Nelson Meers Foundation, a not-for-profit philanthropic group. Her board appointments have included chairman of Belvoir St Theatre, chairman of Documentary Australia, deputy chairman of the Federal Government Creative Partnerships Australia, a trustee of the Arts Gallery of NSW, and a director of the State Library of NSW Foundation.
As a board member, Ms Dibbs has managed the role of chair of the Audit and Risk Committee for three years. She is deputy chancellor of Western Sydney University and chair of its Audit and Risk Committee. Ms Dibbs is also deputy chair of the ACT City Renewal Authority and chair of United Way Australia. She has previously served as the Western City District Commissioner for the Greater Cities Commission, as a council member of Chief Executive Women, chair of its Scholarship Committee and as chair of YWCA NSW.
Sam Meers also serves as chairman of the Brett Whiteley Foundation and as director of Environmental Leadership Australia. Photo: Mannifera.
ASEAN-Australia Centre inaugural Advisory Board appointments
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has announced the inaugural Advisory Board of the ASEAN-Australia Centre, which began operations earlier this year.
The centre replaces the Australia-ASEAN Council and will increase ties with national cultural institutions, support emerging leaders, drive business engagement, and deepen Australia’s trade and investment links under Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.
The following people have been appointed:
- Louise Adams, chief operating officer, Aurecon
- Professor Nicholas Farrelly, pro vice-chancellor, University of Tasmania
- Professor Sango Mahanty, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australia National University
- Audra Morrice, chef, author, television presenter and sustainability tourism champion in Southeast Asia and the Pacific
- Tarun Nagesh, curatorial manager, Asian and Pacific Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art
- Su-Lin Ong, managing director and chief economist, RBC Capital Markets
- Professor Sharon Pickering, vice-chancellor and president, Monash University
- Kate Russell, chief executive officer, Supply Nation
- Hayley Winchcombe, engagement manager, Mandala
- John Hopkins, (ex officio) managing director and CEO, Export Finance Australia
- Michelle Chan, (ex officio) deputy secretary and head of the Office of Southeast Asia, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Minister Wong said the Advisory Board’s chair would be announced early next year. The Senator also thanked outgoing chair Glenn Keys AO and board member Caroline Chan for their contributions in advancing the Australia-ASEAN Council’s work.
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