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Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Page: 6305

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms AE Burke ) (15:28): Mr Speaker has asked me to inform the House of the appointment of the inaugural Parliamentary Budget Officer, who will head the new Parliamentary Budget Office. Under sections 64X and 64XA of the Parliamentary Service Act 1999, the Presiding Officers have the responsibility to appoint the Parliamentary Budget Officer, subject to the approval of the proposed appointment by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.

I am pleased to inform the House that on 23 May 2012, the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit gave unanimous approval to the appointment of Mr Phil Bowen as the inaugural Parliamentary Budget Officer. Mr Bowen is a highly experienced individual who is ideally suited to this new and important role. Since 2007, Mr Bowen has been an executive director on the board of the Asian Development Bank, representing Australia and a number of countries in our region.

Prior to this, Mr Bowen was a senior Commonwealth public servant who held various senior executive positions, including as a long-serving deputy secretary of Budget Group in the former Department of Finance and Administration between 2001 and 2007. Prior to this, Mr Bowen was a deputy secretary of the Property Group of Finance and has also held senior positions in the former Department of Transport and Communications and the Civil Aviation Authority.

In recognition of Mr Bowen's contributions, he was awarded a Public Service Medal on Australia Day 2006 'for outstanding public service in the development, delivery and implementation of enhanced whole-of-government budget processes'. Mr Bowen will commence on 23 July 2012. I congratulate Mr Bowen on his appointment and, on behalf of all members, I wish him well in establishing this new and important office.