Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson has announced the reappointment by the Governor-General of six lay members of the High Court and the appointment of one new member pursuant to sections 77 and 78 of the the Commerce Act 1986.
Lay members assist the Court in cases involving appeals from decisions of the Commerce Commission and in other matters under the Commerce Act. They must have specialist knowledge or experience in industry, commerce, economics, law or accountancy.
The appointees, all for a term of five years, are:
Professor Martin Richardson (lay member from July 2001 to October 2016): Professor Richardson has been at the Australian National University (ANU) since 2003. He is currently the Deputy Director (Education) at ANU’s Research School of Economics. He holds a PhD in economics from Princeton University.
Kerrin Vautier (lay member from July 2001 to October 2016): Ms Vautier has been a director on the Board of the Reserve Bank since 2010. She has published widely, is a Life Member of the New Zealand Association of Economists, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and received the Queen’s Honour of CMG in 1993 for services to business and economics.
Kieran Murray (lay member from October 2011 to October 2016): For nearly two decades Mr Murray has worked internationally as an economic consultant in the fields of competition analysis and regulation, market design and public policy reform. He co‑founded and jointly leads Sapere Research Group.
Robin Davey (lay member from April 2011 to April 2016): Mr Davey has been a member of the Australian Competition Tribunal since 1998. He was Victoria’s first Regulator‑General, responsible for Victoria’s electricity and water industries, port services and grain handling. From 1989 to 1994 he was Chairman of the Australian Telecommunications Authority.
Rodney Shogren (lay member from April 2011 to April 2016): Mr Shogren has been a member of the Australian Competition Tribunal since 2003. He was a member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority, a Commissioner with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and held senior positions in the Commonwealth Treasury.
Dr John Marsden (lay member from April 2011 to April 2016): Dr Marsden’s areas of expertise are in economic regulation, governance, pricing, property rights and environmental and natural resource economics. He was recently appointed economist‑in‑residence at the Law Institute of Victoria.
Dr Darryn Abraham: Dr Abraham is an economics consultant and a part‑time member of the Australian Competition Tribunal. He is a founder and Director of the economics consulting firm, Acacia CRE Pty Ltd. His areas of expertise are primarily public utility pricing and regulatory economics.