Board Cross-membership for NZ and Australian Treasury Secretaries

Treasury Secretary Gabriel Makhlouf has announced the appointment of his Australian counterpart Dr Martin Parkinson to the New Zealand Treasury Board. This follows the appointment last week of Mr Makhlouf to the newly-established Australian Treasury Advisory Council, and reinforces the very strong links between the two institutions.

The New Zealand Treasury Board is a governance body that supports the Treasury Secretary to meet the organisation’s strategic goals and ambitions. The Board does this by testing key strategic decisions, offering external expertise and perspectives, and providing a strong advisory function.

Dr Parkinson will join current Board members Mr Makhlouf (chair), Treasury Deputy Chief Executive Vicky Robertson, and non-executive directors Mr Paul Baines, Dr Susan Macken, Ms Joan Withers, Sir Ralph Norris, Professor Harlene Hayne and Mr Whaimutu Dewes.

The Australian Treasury Advisory Council is a governance and advisory body that exists to support Australia’s Secretary to the Treasury in ensuring that the Treasury’s organisational strategy, capability and performance make the best possible contribution to the achievement of its mission statement. In doing so, it will help ensure that the Treasury functions as effectively and efficiently as possible now and is well-positioned for the future.

Joining Mr Makhlouf as inaugural members of the council are Ms Elizabeth Bryan, Ms Tracey Horton, Ms Belinda Hutchinson, Ms Akiko Jackson, Mr Kevin McCann and Dr Michael Vertigan.

Biography of Dr Martin Parkinson PSM

Dr Martin Parkinson was appointed as Australia’s Secretary to the Treasury in March 2011. As Secretary, he is a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Chair of the Advisory Board of the Australian Office of Financial Management and a member of the Council of Financial Regulators, the Board of Taxation and Infrastructure Australia.

Dr Parkinson was the Secretary of the Department of Climate Change from its establishment in December 2007, and headed up the Climate Change Group in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet earlier in 2007.

Between 2001 and 2006, Dr Parkinson was Deputy Secretary in Treasury with responsibility for domestic and international macroeconomic issues, including serving as co-chair of the G-20 Deputies process in 2006. He has previously worked at the International Monetary Fund on the reform of international financial architecture, as a Senior Adviser to Treasurer Dawkins in the early 1990s, and on a range of issues within the Treasury including taxation policy, labour market and structural reform, and macroeconomic policy and forecasting.

He holds a Ph.D from Princeton University, a M.Ec from the Australian National University and a B.Ec (Hons) from the University of Adelaide. He was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2008.

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