Commission Members

Appointment of Commission Members

The Commission’s governing board consists of four non-executive members made up of the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and two ordinary members. The Commission’s Chief Executive Officer is also a member of the governing board. Non-executive Board members’ appointments are approved by the Minister for Racing and Gaming. The Standing Committee on Public Accounts is consulted on all non-executive member appointments in accordance with section 228 (Consultation with appropriate Assembly Committee) of the Legislation Act 2001.

The term of appointment for Commission members is three years. Members are eligible for re-appointment at the expiration of that term. The Chief Executive remains as a member for the duration of his/her term of office.

Commissioners

The Gambling and Racing Control Act 1999 prescribes that of the four non-executive members of the Commission “one must have knowledge, experience or qualifications related to providing counselling services to problem gamblers”. The appointment of Ms Franklin has ensured compliance with this criterion.

Members’ Responsibilities

Under section 56 of the Financial Management Act (FMA) the Board is responsible, under the Minister, for the efficient and effective financial management of the authority. Section 77 of the FMA provides that a governing board has the following functions:

• setting the authority’s policies and strategies;
• governing the authority consistently with the authority’s establishing Act and other relevant legislation;
• ensuring, as far as practicable, that the authority operates in a proper, effective and efficient way; and
• ensuring, as far as practicable, that the authority complies with applicable governmental policies.

The Commission conducts formal meetings on a monthly basis where comprehensive briefing papers and recommendations regarding significant issues are prepared and presented to the Board by Commission staff.

Summary CV's for Commission Members

Paul Baxter (Chairperson)

Mr Baxter is a semi-retired professional business consultant who until mid-2011 was the public face of the ACT's electricity and water pricing regulator, the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission, having been the inaugural Commissioner of that agency for nearly 16 years.

This role in the ACT partly overlapped with his nearly 25 years as a Director and Partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers, 16 years as a member of the Independent Audit Group of the Murray Darling Basin Commission, five years as the Associate Commissioner of the PNG Independent Consumer and Competition Commission, eight years as an Associate Commissioner of the ACCC, Chair of the National Water Accounting Standards Development Committee, and Chair of Anglicare Canberra/Goulburn.

Alice Tay (Deputy Chairperson)

Ms Tay (LLB) is a lawyer, regulator and non executive director. After a career of 30 years with legal firm Meyer Vandenberg leading their Corporate Advisory and Commercial Division, Ms Tay now focuses on helping businesses grow, organisations prosper and communities flourish. She sits on the boards of the National Heart Foundation and mental health start-up The Fly Program.

Carmel Franklin (Member)

Ms Franklin has been the Chief Executive Officer of Care Financial Counselling and Consumer Law Service since July 2008. She is a Consumer Director of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority and Chairperson of Financial Counselling Australia. Ms Franklin holds a Bachelor of Education and Diploma of Financial Counselling. Ms Franklin has the knowledge and experience related to providing counselling services to problem gamblers.

Carl Buik (Member)

Mr Buik is a semi-retired consumer protection consultant who brings to the Commission extensive experience in all aspects of consumer protection including business compliance programs, consumer and business education, agency capacity building and investigations.

Mr Buik enjoyed a long career with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Since 2002 he has undertaken a range of consultancies involving both consumer protection and competition law issues for international organisations, national governments and the private sector.

Mr Buik has qualifications in law (LLB, ANU) and economics (B.Ec, UNE & Grad Dip Economics for Competition Law, KCL).

David Snowden (Chief Executive Officer & Member)

Mr David Snowden is the Chief Operating Officer of Access Canberra and Chief Executive of the Gambling and Racing Commission. David has over 20 years of regulatory, enforcement and Executive management experience across multiple Commonwealth, Territory and New Zealand public sector agencies, including Transport, Customs, Competition and Consumer Protection.

David also holds the statutory position of ACT Commissioner for Fair Trading.