The Commission operates under the powers, protection and guidance of its own legislation. Its independence is formally exercised under the Productivity Commission Act 1998 through the Chair and Commissioners.

Commissioners

At 30 June 2019, there were twelve members of the Commission, including the Chair. Six Commissioners held part‑time appointments. A further full‑time member was appointed to commence on 1 July 2019.

The term of appointment of Mr Peter Harris AO as Chair of the Commission concluded on 10 September 2018.

Mr Michael Brennan was appointed Chair of the Commission for a period of five years from 11 September 2018. Prior to his appointment, Mr Brennan was Deputy Secretary, Fiscal Group, in the Australian Treasury with responsibility for budget policy, retirement incomes, Commonwealth‑State relations, social policy and infrastructure financing. He also served as Deputy Secretary, Economic in the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance. Mr Brennan previously worked as an Associate Director in the economics and policy practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and as a senior adviser to Treasurers and Ministers for Finance at the state and federal levels.

Ms Karen Chester resigned as Deputy Chair on 27 January 2019 to take up the position of Deputy Chair at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The term of appointment of Mr Robert Fitzgerald AM ended on 27 April 2019, after which he served as a special advisor until 30 June 2019.

Mr Paul Lindwall was re‑appointed as a full‑time Commissioner from 1 May 2019 for a five‑year period.

Mr Romlie Mokak was appointed as a full‑time Commissioner from 25 March 2019 for a five‑year period. Prior to his appointment, Mr Mokak was Chief Executive Officer of the Lowitja Institute, Australia’s national institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research. He is a previous Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association. Earlier roles included Director, Substance Use, and Manager of the National Eye Health Program, for the Australian Government’s Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. Mr Mokak has chaired and been a member of a range of policy, research and evaluation bodies at the national and state government levels.

Mr Malcolm Roberts was appointed as a full‑time Commissioner from 1 May 2019 for a five‑year period. Prior to his appointment, Mr Roberts was Chief Executive of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association. He is a previous Chair of the Queensland Competition Authority. He has considerable experience in industry associations, having held leadership roles with the Energy Networks Association, The National Generators’ Forum, the Australian National Retailers Association and the Housing Industry Association.

Ms Lisa Gropp was appointed as a part‑time Commissioner from 1 May 2019 for a five‑year period. Prior to her appointment, Ms Gropp was Chief Economist at the Business Council of Australia. Ms Gropp has previously served at the Commission, including as a First Assistant Commissioner and Principal Adviser Research. During this time she worked on a number of Commission inquiries, including into carbon policy emissions in key economies (2011), executive remuneration (2009), road and rail freight infrastructure pricing (2006) and the impacts of medical technology (2005).

Dr Catherine de Fontenay was appointed as a full‑time Commissioner from 1 July 2019 for a five‑year period. Prior to her appointment, Dr de Fontenay was an Associate Professor of Economics at the Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne. After completing her PhD in 1998 at Stanford University, Dr de Fontenay taught at the University of New South Wales. She joined the University of Melbourne in 2001, and held roles in the Business School and the Economics Department. She also held visiting positions at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Stanford University, and the Stern School of Business, New York University.

Biographical information on all Commissioners is available on the Commission’s website and their terms of appointment are listed in Chair and Commissioners, 30 June 2019.

Associate Commissioners

The term of appointment for Associate Commissioner John Madden (for the National Water Reform inquiry and the five‑year assessment of the Murray‑Darling Basin Plan) expired on 31 December 2018.

On 21 November 2018, Professor Harvey Whiteford was appointed as a part‑time Associate Commissioner for a period of 18 months to assist the Commission’s Mental Health inquiry (Associate Commissioners, 30 June 2019). Mr Whiteford is a Professor of Population Mental Health at the University of Queensland, and Affiliate Professor of Global Health at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. He trained in medicine, psychiatry, public health and health policy in Queensland, at Stanford University and the Australian National University. He has held senior clinical and administrative positions including those of Director of Mental Health in the Queensland and Australian Governments, and at the World Bank. His research expertise is in psychiatric epidemiology and mental health service development.

Staff

The average staffing level during 2018‑19 was 168 compared with 165 in 2017‑18. The Commission recruited 35 staff during the year, including 13 through its graduate recruitment program. Staff turnover was approximately 7 per cent.

Statistical information on staffing is provided in the appendix, under Cross-reference.