” (A) candidate for appointment to the AAT… (should), possessing legal qualifications, and (be) selected as a result of a transparent process.” (page 171)
and
“There is, in my opinion, no necessity to appoint professionals other than lawyers to the AAT” (page 175)
I.D.F. CALLINAN AC
For more see the full Report Review: section 4 of the Tribunals Amalgamation Act 2015 (CTH) I.D.F. CALLINAN AC
https://www.ag.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/report-statutory-review-aat.pdf
Pru Goward among six Liberal-linked appointments by Coalition to Administrative Appeals Tribunal
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/04/pru-goward-among-six-liberal-linked-appointments-by-coalition-to-administrative-appeals-tribunal
This on top of these appointments
In her article she states “the federal government has appointed 64 members and senior members to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal over the past six years who have some kind of connection and or worked for the coalition, some of them with no legal qualifications.”
| Name | State | Type of Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Gary Humphries | ACT | Former Liberal senator |
| John Sosso | QLD | Director-General, Justice Department (Newman government) |
| Robert Cameron | VIC | Liberal Chairman Kew State Electoral Council |
| Paul Clauson AM | QLD | Former attorney-general and minister under Liberal government |
| Michael Cooke* | NSW | Former adviser to Tony Abbott |
| Denis Dragovic* | VIC | Liberal preselection for the House of Representatives; Victorian Senate preselection |
| Ann Duffield* | QLD | Former chief of staff to Scott Morrison |
| Richard Ellis | WA | Former chief of staff to former premier Colin Barnett |
| Matthew Groom | VIC | Former Liberal Party member for Denison |
| James Lambie | QLD | Former policy adviser; senior adviser and chief of staff to George Brandis |
| Donald Morris* | VIC | Former senior adviser to Eric Abetz |
| Andew Nikolic AM CSC* | VIC | Former Liberal member of House of Representatives |
| Justin Owen | NSW | Lifetime member of the Sydney University Liberal Club; former treasurer of the Australian Liberal Students Federation |
| Belinda Pola | QLD | Former chief of staff to Mathias Cormann; former staffer to Joe Hockey |
| Christopher Puplick AM* | NSW | Former Liberal senator |
| Theo Tavoularis | QLD | Liberal Party donor; represented former AG George Brandis’ son in a criminal case. |
| Rachel Westaway | VIC | Former Liberal candidate for the NSW Upper House |
| Antoinette Younes | NSW | Former adviser to Michaelia Cash |
| Dominic Katter | QLD | Queensland Liberal National Party “law and order adviser” |
| Hedley Chapman* | SA | Former Liberal Party member for Kingston; former senator |
| Rodrigo Pintos-Lopez | VIC | In-house counsel for former Victorian premier Ted Baillieu. |
| William Stefaniak AM RFD | ACT | Former Leader of the Opposition (for the Liberal Party) ACT |
| Ian Berry | QLD | Former LNP member for Ipswich |
| Simone Burford | WA | Adviser and chief of staff to former attorney-general Daryl Robert Williams; chief of staff to former communications minister Richard Alston; senior adviser to John Howard |
| Helena Claringbold | NSW | Former staffer to Tony Abbott |
| David Crawshay OAM | VIC | Former Liberal Party staffer |
| Brendan Darcy | VIC | Former adviser to Kevin Andrews |
| Phoebe Dunn | VIC | Former senior adviser to former attorney-general Daryl Williams |
| Peter Emmerton* | SA | Former adviser to Liberal Minister of Education and Training |
| Shane Evans* | NSW | Former adviser to the Howard Government; media adviser and chief of staff to Minister for Fair Trading NSW |
| Joseph Francis* | WA | Former Liberal Member for Jandakot |
| William Frost | ACT | Former senior adviser to Christian Porter |
| Steven Griffiths* | SA | Former Liberal Member for Goyder |
| George Hallwood* | SA | President of a Liberal Party branch |
| Keith Kendall | VIC | University Liberal Club member |
| Nora Lamont* | VIC | Liberal Party member; Councillor for Mullum Ward, Maroondah City Council |
| Russell Matheson | NSW | Former Liberal Party member for Macarthur |
| David McCulloch | NSW | Former policy adviser to Communications Minister Paul Fletcher; staffer to former senator Amanda Vanstone |
| Nicholas McGowan | VIC | Liberal candidate for Jagajaga |
| Karen McNamara* | NSW | Former Liberal Party member for Dobell |
| Justin Meyer | VIC | Former senior adviser to former premier Dennis Napthine |
| Helen Moreland* | VIC | Former senior adviser to Tony Abbott |
| Perrohean Sperling PSM | VIC | Former senior adviser to John Howard |
| Michael Sutherland OAM | WA | Former Liberal member for Mount Lawley; former speaker of the WA Legislative Assembly |
| Peter Vlahos | VIC | Liberal candidate for Chisholm |
| Robert Baldwin* | NSW | Former Liberal member for Paterson |
| Anthony Barry | VIC | Former press adviser to Malcolm Turnbull |
| Stephen Barton* | WA | Former chief of staff to former WA Legislative Assembly member Joseph Francis |
| Jane Bell | VIC | Liberal preselection for the House of Representatives |
| Suzanne Boyce FAICD* | QLD | Former Liberal senator |
| Nathan Goetz | NSW | Former Liberal Party member. Ran for the Wyndham City Council in the 2008 election. |
| Dawn Fitzgerald | WA | Former chief of staff to a WA Liberal minister |
| Ian Fletcher AM | WA | Former chief of staff to former WA premier Richard Court |
| Margaret Forrest | QLD | Senior adviser to the Department of Justice and AG (Newman government); electorate officer for AG George Brandis |
| John Griffin* | VIC | Former chief of staff to for Victorian premier Jeff Kennett |
| Meredith Jackson | QLD | Former chief of staff to Christopher Pyne |
| De-Anne Kelly* | QLD | National Member for Dawson |
| Helen Kroger* | VIC | Former president of the Victorian Liberal Party; former Liberal senator |
| Michael Manetta | SA | Liberal candidate for seat of Torrens |
| Stephen Parry* | TAS | Former Tasmanian Senate president |
| Donna Petrovich* | VIC | Former Liberal member in the Victorian Legislative Council |
| Susan Reece Jones | VIC | Liberal Party member |
| Brian Warren Stooke AM* | VIC | Liberal Party member |
| Andrew Tragardh | VIC | Liberal preselection for the Victorian Legislative Assembly |
