24/2009 10 July 2009
Appointment of the Chairperson of the AEC
I am pleased to announce the appointment of the Hon Peter Heerey QC, as the new Chairperson of the Australian Electoral Commission.
Mr Heerey’s appointment is for a period of five years and will take effect on 23 July 2009.
Mr Heerey has had a distinguished career, serving as a Justice of the Federal Court of Australia for 19 years, President of the Australian Defence Force Discipline Appeals Tribunal and Deputy President of the Australian Competition Tribunal.
A member of the Victorian Bar, Mr Heerey is currently the Chair of the Advisory Board, Graduate Program in Intellectual Property Law at the University of Melbourne.
The appointment of Mr Heerey fills the vacancy in the AEC created by outgoing Chairperson, the Hon James Burchett QC, whose term of appointment expires on 22 July 2009.
In January, Mr Burchett graciously agreed to continue in the position of Chairperson for an additional six months, to assist with the transition of the new Electoral Commissioner in January.
I wish to thank Mr Burchett for almost six years of dedicated service, which included the last two federal elections.
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