Gig Guide: Victoria appoints new Information Commissioner


Brandon How
Reporter

The new Victorian Information Commissioner is lawyer Sean Morrison, who brings senior experience from across the state public sector.

Mr Morrison moves from his role as Special Investigator for the Victorian government. He has spent the last seven months leading the decommissioning of the office, which was set up following the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants.​

Before his appointment as Special Investigator, Mr Morrison served as the inaugural general counsel to Victoria’s Department of Government Services. He has also served as the state Department of Health’s executive director for legal, privacy and integrity.

Victoria’s Attorney-general Jaclyn Symes said she was looking forward to Mr Morrison’s contributions as Information Commissioner, given his experience across freedom of information, privacy, and data protection.

“I thank Sven Bluemmel for his service to the Victorian public as the inaugural Information Commissioner. I would also like to thank Joanne Kummrow and Rachel Dixon for their leadership as Acting Information Commissioners over the past six months,” Ms Symes said.

The chief executive of the Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Dr Justin Coombs will leave at the end of April. Dr Coombs led the initial bid to establish the CRC between November 2020 and June 2021 before transitioning to its permanent head.

Dr Coombs will move to a new role in the medical biotechnology industry, building on his previous experience as general manager at the CRC for Cell Therapy Manufacturing.

At the SmartCrete CRC, Dr Ross Harper has been appointed as a director of the board. Dr Harper is an experienced concrete industry senior executive who spent 15 years at construction company Boral and recently served as a strategic advisor to decarbonisation firm MCi Carbon.

Australia’s consul general and senior trade and investment commissioner, Odette Hampton, who is based in San Fransisco, has left the position after eight months. She had previously served as deputy consul general for more than four years.

Prior to her role at AusTrade, Ms Hampton worked for the United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade leading the creation of the Australia-UK Fintech Bridge.

New consul-generals and trade and investment commissioners have been appointed in Osaka and Milan. They are experienced public servants Margaret Bowen and Rachel White.

The federal government’s National Disability Data Asset Council met for the first time this week. It is comprised of three disability community members, three data experts, three Commonwealth representatives and three state and territory representatives.

This includes Inclusion Australia chief executive Catherine McAlpine and the former inaugural chair of the National Disability Insurance Agency Professor Bruce Bonyhady.

Former Tasmanian Premier and High Commissioner to Singapore Will Hodgman has joined the advisory board of consulting and technology firm Kodora.ai.

Melbourne-based neobank Judo Bank has announced that its chief executive Joseph Healy will step down at the end of March after seven years in the role. He will be replaced by deputy chief executive and chief relationship officer Chris Bayliss.

Curtin University has appointed Associate Professor Laurence Dyer as the interim director of its Gold Technology Group at the WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering.

At the Department of Industry, Science, and Resources, Merrick Peisley has been appointed general manager of the Budget and Portfolio Policy Branch, while Tegan Johnson has been appointed general manager of the ministerial and executive enabling branch.

Ms Johnson moves from her role as head of secretariat for the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Do you know more? Contact James Riley via Email.

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