The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, the Honourable Chris Pearce MP, has today released the final version of the document Principles for the Appointment of Consumer Representatives: A Process for Governments and Industry.
“This document was prepared by the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council (CCAAC) following a request from the Australian Government. CCAAC is an important source of independent advice to the Australian Government both on current and on new and emerging consumer issues.
“CCAAC has formulated six principles to assist governments and industry when appointing consumer representatives to advisory and decision-making bodies.
The six principles recommended to underpin an effective appointment process are that:
- appointments must be made on merit;
- appointees must be independent of industry or government and free of conflicts of interest;
- consumer organisations should where possible be involved in appointments;
- an appropriate range of candidates should be sought;
- the appointment process must be consistent with good corporate governance and where relevant, good practice in self-regulation; and
- the appointment process must be transparent, accountable and cost-effective.
“The principles are not mandatory but when flexibly applied they should enable government and industry decision-making bodies to appoint appropriate consumer representatives. I value the contribution that CCAAC makes to the policy process and I commend it for its work on these principles,” Mr Pearce said.
Copies are available online at www.treasury.gov.au or from:
CCAAC Secretariat
Competition and Consumer Policy Division
The Treasury
Langton Crescent
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Phone: 02 6263 2027
Fax: 02 6263 3964
Contact: Gillian Harvey 03 9887 3890 or 0411 567 060