The Capital Water Cooler: Comings and goings in the APS

A breakdown of the latest appointments in the Australian Public Service.

APS Senior Executive Service

Band 1

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has appointed Phillip Bergensen as the branch manager of ICT integrity transformation.

Carly Sierota is the new branch manager for service guidance at Services Australia.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has made Rachel Moore its new assistant secretary.

Band 2

Jenny Telford is now general manager of the Census and Population Division at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Band 3

The Department of Health and Aged Care has appointed Mary Wood as deputy secretary.

Other federal

Natalie Siegel-Brown made Inspector-General of Aged Care

The Federal Government has announced Natalie Siegel-Brown as the new Inspector-General of Aged Care, who will provide independent and impartial oversight of its administration, governance and regulation of the sector.

Her work includes ongoing monitoring and intelligence-gathering activities to address systemic issues and make recommendations for change.

With the new Aged Care Act set to come into effect on 1 July, 2025, pending parliamentary passage, Ms Siegel-Brown will bring extensive experience, having most recently served as a commissioner with the Productivity Commission and a board director at Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia (ADA Australia).

She has previously held roles across the Queensland, NSW, Western Australian and Victorian governments leading public policy and service delivery in domestic and family violence, statutory child protection, ageing and disability.

First day of Administrative Review Tribunal

The Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) has finally replaced the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) this week – a massive shift in the administrative review space that Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said hadn’t been seen in decades.

“The new ART will be efficient, accessible, independent and fair for the tens of thousands of people every year who seek independent review of government decisions, such as whether they qualify for an age pension, are compensated for an injury they suffered while serving their nation or receive NDIS funding for essential support,” Mr Dreyfus said at the opening ceremony.

“A central feature of the new ART is a transparent and merit-based selection process for the appointment of non-judicial members.”

Justice Emilios Kyrou AO is the inaugural president and Michael Hawkins AM its first chief executive officer and principal registrar.

All ongoing and non-ongoing APS employees who were employed at the AAT have now transitioned to the ART, along with the matters that were sitting before the former.

People who have applied to the AAT for review of a decision do not need to submit a new application to the ART. It has the same jurisdiction as the former, and people can apply to the ART for review of a decision.

The last nine members appointed to the inaugural ART on the previous Monday are:

• Dr Jennifer Beard
• Jodie Camden
• Deborah Dinnen
• Maritsa Eftimiou
• Tigiilagi Eteuati
• Richard Hooker
• Craig Mulvey
• Jack Nalpantidis
• Deborah Ziegler.

New faces on ASIC leadership team

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has made a raft of appointments to its senior executive leadership team.

ASIC chair Joe Longo has announced the appointment of Peter Soros as executive director of regulation and supervision.

Mr Soros will join in November from the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), this country’s financial intelligence and anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulator.

He is currently the deputy CEO of regulation, a position he has held for six years. Last year, he was also the acting CEO for eight months.

Mr Longo also announced the appointment of Chris Savundra to the role of executive director of enforcement and compliance, effective 28 October.

He will bring significant litigation experience to the role from his time with ASIC, including some of ASIC’s most important and complex matters, such as the Bank Bill Swap Rate litigation. Recruitment for Mr Savundra’s current position as ASIC general counsel and executive director of legal services is underway.

Mr Longo said the executive changes continued ASIC’s transformation following the agency’s largest organisational redesign in 15 years.

This included the appointment of three new commissioners in 2023, and the appointments this year of new executives including Diana Steicke as executive director of registry and intelligence, Joanne Harper as executive director of data, digital and technology, and Annie Reeves as chief people and culture transformation officer.

Mr Longo said following Warren Day’s secondment to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions in April, a global search for a new permanent CEO would also begin shortly.

New Australian Border Force Commissioner named

The Australian Defence Force’s inaugural Chief of Defence Intelligence will be the next Australian Border Force (ABF) Commissioner.

The Federal Government has announced the appointment of Gavan Reynolds AO as the new commissioner, to be sworn in on Sunday, 10 November.

Mr Reynolds’ career has included serving with distinction in several strategic and operational posts, including as Australian military representative to NATO and the European Union, heading military strategic commitments in the Department of Defence and deployment to Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke issued a statement on 14 October describing Mr Reynolds as “well equipped to lead ABF through the current complex operating environment” and to meet the challenges of the future.

“Mr Reynolds brings a wealth of experience from his over 40 years of service to the nation, most recently as the Australian Defence Force’s inaugural Chief of Defence Intelligence,” they said.

ATSE elects new cohort of innovators to its illustrious ranks

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) has elected another group of fellows to join its prestigious ranks, granting them the illustrious title of FTSE.

Among the 32 recipients are a world farming authority, a trailblazing Indigenous genomics expert, a naval defence engineer, and one of the most influential climate scientists in the world.

The cohort joins more than 900 of Australia’s leading engineers and applied scientists elected by their peers to the academy for their outstanding contributions across the country’s innovation ecosystem.

Applications open for commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People

Applications are now open for the role of the inaugural National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People.

The Federal Government recently announced that an independent National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People would begin operations on 13 January, 2025.

The National Commissioner will work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities, commissioners, guardians, advocates and other stakeholders to provide culturally safe and holistic advice on the development and delivery of policies, programs and services to ensure they meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.

Indigenous Minister and NT Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said the commission and commissioner would be an important part of the Commonwealth’s strategy for Closing the Gap on outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.

SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle said similar independent and empowered roles must be present in every jurisdiction, providing a national system of oversight to uphold the rights and interests of our children.

“This significant commitment to our children should have bi-partisan support nationally and in all states and territories,” she said. “Our children deserve this.”

Original Article published by James Day on PS News.