8 July 2013

Commonwealth Grants Commission Appointments

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Greg Smith as the part-time Chairperson of the Commonwealth Grants Commission for a five-year period from 1 July 2013, and the appointment of Alan Henderson AM as a part-time member of the Commission for a 12 month period from 1 July 2013.

Mr Smith is a current Commission member and was appointed in 2006. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Australian Catholic University, Canberra and a Senior Fellow at the Melbourne Law School.

Mr Smith will be replacing Mr Henderson who has been the Chairperson of the Commission since July 2010. I'd like to thank and acknowledge Mr Henderson's contribution as Chairperson.

Mr Henderson's continuation as a member of the Commission will allow him to oversee the completion of the Local Government Inquiry. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Government and Public Policy at Griffith University.

The Commission is a statutory authority whose role is to provide advice to the Australian Government on how the revenues raised from the Goods and Services Tax should be distributed to the States and Territories to achieve horizontal fiscal equalisation.

With these new appointments, the Commission will consist of a part-time Chairperson and five part-time members.

For more information on the Commission, please visit www.cgc.gov.au.

8 July 2013