I am pleased to announce the appointments of Professor Margaret Allars SC as Chair and Professor Matthew Groves, Dr Graeme Innes AM, and Mrs Kerry Staines as members of the re-established Administrative Review Council (ARC).
They will join the standing members of the ARC, the President of the Administrative Review Tribunal, the Hon Justice Emilios Kyrou AO, the Commonwealth Ombudsman, Mr Iain Anderson, and the Australian Information Commissioner, Ms Elizabeth Tydd.
The ARC was originally established under the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 with bipartisan support. At its first meeting in 1977 the then-Attorney-General described the ARC as a "watchdog for the citizen" and said that its role was "to ensure that our system of administrative review is as effective and significant in its protection of the citizen as it can be".
The ARC performed its role with distinction for almost 40 years, until it was discontinued by the former government.
The re-establishment of the ARC responds to recommendations of the Robodebt Royal Commission. Together with the new, fit-for-purpose Administrative Review Tribunal, the ARC will be tasked with promoting better decision-making across government.
The new Chair and members of the ARC were appointed through a merit-based process and will commence in their roles from 12 December 2024, for a period of five years.
I thank Professor Allars, Professor Groves, Dr Innes and Mrs Staines for their willingness to serve.
