Power Simon: Appointments — Electoral Commission 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Power Simon: Appointments — Electoral Commission 
[Sitting date: 18 August 2010. Volume:665;Page:13265. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon SIMON POWER (Minister of Justice) 
: 
 I move  
That 
 pursuant to section 4D of the Electoral Act 1993 and section 32 of the Crown Entities Act 2004 this House recommend His Excellency the Governor-General appoint Hon Justice Sir John Hugh Williams as Chair of the Electoral Commission for a term of three years and Mr Robert Andrew Peden as Chief Electoral Officer and Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission for a term of five years. 
The Electoral (Administration) Amendment Act passed by the House in May amended the Electoral Act 1993 to establish a new Electoral Commission. The commission is an independent Crown entity that will bring together functions currently spread across several electoral agencies and it will be responsible for conducting all parliamentary elections by-elections and referenda and for the registration of political parties. 
From 1 October 2010 the new commission will take over the functions of the present Electoral Commission and Chief Electoral Office. The new commission will provide public information programmes and advice on electoral matters and it will report to the Minister of Justice and the House of Representatives after each general election and at other times as it sees fit. The new commission will have a board of three members comprising a part-time chair a part-time deputy chair and a full-time Chief Electoral Officer who will also be the chief executive. Appointments to the commission are made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the House of Representatives. 
At this point in time I am moving the appointment of the chair and the Chief Electoral Officer to ensure that the new commission has sufficient board members in place in the interim. I intend to ask the House to consider the appointment of the deputy chair of the commission in the near future. As the chair of the commission Justice Sir Hugh Williams will offer the commission strong leadership. He has had longstanding involvement in the administration of justice and has significant governance experience as a highly engaged university chancellor. Sir Hugh was appointed as a judge of the High Court in 1995. He retired from the bench in 2009 but still holds an acting warrant. He previously served as a Master of the High Court for 6 years and for many years as I said earlier he was the chancellor of Massey University. As the president of the existing Electoral Commission since 2009 Justice Williams is well informed on the issues and complexities associated with the preparations for the next general election and his appointment will provide valuable continuity. 
Mr Robert Peden has been the Chief Electoral Officer since 2006 as well as having been a member of the Representation Commission. Mr Peden has a career that combines a mix of policy strategic planning and operational planning and he has a proven record of delivery in his current position of Chief Electoral Officer. He has worked in the area of electoral matters for almost 15 years and has accumulated a comprehensive knowledge of electoral law. 
Under section 32(1)(b) of the Crown Entities Act 2004 appointments to the commission may be made for 5 years or for any shorter period stated in the notice of appointment. Sir Hugh’s appointment is proposed for a term of 3 years to ensure that the position of chair is reviewed with a 12-month lead-in time to the 2014 general election. Mr Peden’s appointment to the position of Chief Electoral Officer is proposed for a 5-year term taking his appointment a year beyond the 2014 general election and providing sufficient time for the completion of post-election reporting requirements. I commend these appointments to the House.