A breakdown of the latest appointments in the Australian Public Service.
APS Senior Executive Service
Band 1
Pamela Banerjee has been named the next assistant secretary at the Department of Education.
Analyn Vasquez is to be a branch manager at the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
Band 3
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has promoted Kushla Munro to deputy secretary.
Other federal
Michael Lye is the Department of Social Services’ next Secretary
Governor-General Sam Mostyn has accepted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s recommendation to appoint Michael Lye as Secretary of the Department of Social Services (DSS).
From 11 December, Mr Lye will begin his five-year appointment and take over from current Secretary Ray Griggs AO CSC, who has served in the role since 2021.
Michael Lye has served as Deputy Secretary of Ageing and Aged Care at the Department of Health and Aged Care since 2019, following a six-year stint at DSS. Source: DHAC.
Australian Law Reform Commission to review national surrogacy laws
The Federal Government has asked the Australian Law Reform Commission (ARLC) to undertake an inquiry into the nation’s surrogacy laws, with its president, Justice Mordecai Bromberg, to lead it.
Australian surrogacy law protects the human rights of children born of surrogacy, their surrogate mothers and intended parents.
However, surrogacy arrangements can be medically, emotionally, financially and legally complex. Therefore, the review will be aimed at providing greater clarity and certainty on this legislation.
Justice Bromberg was appointed a judge of the Federal Court of Australia in 2009 after a long career as a barrister at the Victorian Bar. He was elected ARLC president in July last year, but is also chair of the Advisory Board at the Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law at the University of Melbourne.
Re-establishment of the Administrative Review Council
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has announced the appointments of Professor Margaret Allars SC as chair and Professor Matthew Groves, Dr Graeme Innes AM and Kerry Staines as members of the re-established Administrative Review Council (ARC) for five-year terms.
They will join the standing members, comprising Administrative Review Tribunal president Justice Emilios Kyrou AO, Commonwealth Ombudsman Iain Anderson, and Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd.
The ARC was originally established under the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 with bipartisan support until it was discontinued by the Coalition government in 2015. Its role is to strengthen the integrity and operation of the Commonwealth administrative law system.
Professor Allars is Senior Counsel practising at the NSW Bar and a scholar of administrative law at the University of Sydney.
Professor Groves is a scholar of public law at Deakin University and has served as adviser to the chairman of the Victorian Bar, but was also a member of the former ARC for three years.
Dr Innes is the Central Queensland University chancellor, serves as the Audit and Risk Committee chair, and is an NDIA board member.
A proud descendant of the Mandananji and Walka Wakka people, Ms Staines is currently the CEO of the First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence.
At the ARC’s first meeting, in 1977, then-attorney-general Peter Durack described it as a “watchdog for the citizen”. Photo: Parliamentary Handbook.
Appointments to Federal Court
Eight new judges have been appointed to the Federal Court of Australia.
Half of them were funded by new provisions in the 2024-25 Budget to resolve significant backlogs in migration and protection applications, along with accelerating the resolution of native title claims.
Justice Samuel Vandongen will be at the Western Australian Registry, having served on the Court of Appeal at WA’s Supreme Court since last year.
At the Victorian Registry will be Elizabeth Bennett SC, who signed the state’s Bar Roll in 2009 and was appointed silk in 2021.
At the NSW Registry will be:
- Cameron Moore SC, who was called to the state’s Bar in 1998 and made a silk in 2011
- Nicholas Owen SC, who was called to the state’s Bar in 2004 and made a silk in 2016
- Professor James Stellios, who was called to the state’s Bar in 2013
- Houda Younan SC, who was called to the state’s Bar in 2007 and made a silk in 2020.
At the Queensland Registry will be:
- Erin Longbottom KC, who was admitted to practice in 2003 and made Queen’s Counsel in 2019
- Amelia Wheatley KC, who signed the state’s Bar Roll in 2005 and made Queen’s Counsel in 2019.
Justice Sam Vandongen SC at his WA Supreme Court swearing-in with Governor Chris Dawson in 2022. Photo: WA Government House.
New members to serve on National Health and Medical Research Council
The Federal Government has appointed the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for the 2024-27 term.
New members are:
- Associate Professor Stephen Adelstein
- Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM
- Professor Raymond (Ray) Chan
- Professor Susan Hillier
- Adjunct Professor Darryl O’Donnell
- Professor Steve Robson
- Professor Yvette Roe.
Reappointed members:
- Professor Emily Banks AM
- Ainslie Cahill AM
- Professor Jane Gunn AO
- Professor Elizabeth Hartland AM
- Professor Richard Murray
- Professor Anushka Patel
- Bronwyn Le Grice.
Professor Caroline Homer AO will continue to lead the council, which funds high-quality health and medical research.
Original Article published by James Day on PS News.
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