The Assistant Treasurer today announced a number of appointments to the Australian Competition Tribunal.
The Tribunal consists of presidential members — who must be Federal Court judges — and other members who must be qualified by virtue of their knowledge of, or experience in, industry, commerce, economics, law or public administration.
The Tribunal's main function is to review a range of decisions made under the Trade Practices Act 1974, as well as being the primary decision‑maker in merger authorisation matters.
The Hon Justice Raymond Finkelstein has been appointed as the President of the Tribunal. Prior to this, he was the Acting President. Justice Finkelstein has been a Judge of the Federal Court since 1997 and a Deputy President of the Tribunal since 2005.
The Hon Justice John Middleton has been appointed as a Deputy President. Justice Middleton was appointed to the Federal Court in 2007. Before that, he was a barrister practising in the areas of constitutional, administrative, resources, company and general law.
Mr Ray Steinwall has been appointed as a part‑time member of the Tribunal. Dr John Marsden, Mr Rodney Shogren and Miss Margaret Starrs have also each been reappointed as part-time members.
Miss Starrs has been a member of the Tribunal since 1998. She has worked in the transport sector for over 30 years, specialising in policy and regulatory analysis, economic evaluation, and costing and pricing of transport services. Miss Starrs has also worked in government agencies and consulting firms, and currently has her own consulting business.
Dr Marsden has been a member of the Tribunal since 2003. He is a consultant specialising in business planning and policy in water and other utilities and natural resource management. He is also currently the Chair of the Melbourne Economic Panel.
Mr Shogren has been a member of the Tribunal since 2003. He is a member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority and serves on other appeals and governance panels. He also provides consulting advice on economic aspects of public policy. Mr Shogren was a member of the ACCC between 1997 and 2002, with responsibility for energy regulatory matters. He has also held senior executive positions at the Australian Treasury.
Mr Steinwall is currently General Counsel for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Australia with a background in commercial and corporate law, trade practices, marketing and advertising and intellectual property. Since 2001 he has been a Visiting Fellow, Trade Practices and Competition Law, Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales.
All appointments are for a five-year period.