The Commission

AFMA’s responsibilities are shared between a Commission and the Chief Executive Officer:

  • The Commission is responsible for domestic fisheries management
  • The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for foreign compliance, and for assisting the Commission and giving effect to its decisions. The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the agency that supports these functions.

The CEO is also a Commissioner, and is appointed on a full-time basis.  All other Commissioners are appointed on a part-time basis.

Commissioners are appointed on the basis of their high level of expertise in one or more of the fields of fisheries management, fishing industry operations, science, natural resource management, economics, business or financial management, law, public sector administration or governance.  Commissioners cannot hold any executive position in a fishing industry association, nor can they have a controlling interest or executive role in any entity holding a Commonwealth fishing concession.

The current Commissioners were appointed on 1 March 2009 for five year terms of office.

Commissioners

  • The Hon Michael Egan, FAICD – Chairman
    Company Director, Chancellor of Macquarie University, Chairman of the Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Chairman of the Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group Pty Ltd. He was previously Treasurer of New South Wales, Minister of State Development and Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council.
  • Dr James Findlay – CEO
    James has a PhD in fisheries biology and has held senior government roles across fisheries science, policy and management.  He has also held senior government roles in other natural resource management areas including climate change and sustainable water use.  He was a research consultant in aquatic animal health for the aquaculture industry and was a senior lecturer in genetics at the University of Tasmania.  Prior to joining the public service he also worked in the commercial and recreational/charter fishing industries in Queensland.
  • Mr Richard Stevens, OAM- Deputy Chair
    Mr Stevens has a BEcon, is a Director of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Deputy Presiding Member of the Fisheries Council of South Australia and chair/member of a number of State and Territory fisheries committees. Mr Stevens’ expertise covers natural resource management, fishing industry operations and economics.
  •  Mr Ian Cartwright
    Ian has an MSc (Economics), is Chair of the Tasmanian Fisheries Research Advisory Board and Chair of various fisheries committees. Ian’s expertise covers commercial fishing, fisheries science, natural resource management, economics and business management.
  • Dr John Glaister
    Currently Deputy Director General, Health Planning and Infrastructure Division, Queensland Health, delivering $2 billion in infrastructure annually, and previously Chief Scientist, Laing O’Rourke an international construction company; Deputy Director General of the Queensland Department of Transport; Chief Executive, Ministry of Fisheries, New Zealand; Deputy Director-General, Queensland Department of State Development and Innovation and Director-General, New South Wales Fisheries.
  • Ms Jennifer Goddard
    Economist and previously Deputy Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C). Ms Goddard held a number of senior roles within PM&C and prior to that in the Department of the Treasury. She is now the inaugural Chair of the Australian Solar Institute Limited, a Director of the Grains Research and Development Corporation and an economics and public policy consultant.
  • Ms Elizabeth Montano
    Former private sector financial services lawyer and Chief Executive in the Commonwealth, Ms Montano is currently a Member of the Council (Board) of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), member of the AIMS Audit Committee, Chair of the audit committee of the Department of Sustainability Environment Water Population and Communities, a Member of the Audit Committees of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Customs and Border Protection Service and Principal of a consultancy business working in governance, business strategy, risk and audit. She holds the qualifications of BA, LLB and FAICD.
  • Ms Denise North
    Denise has a BEc and MBA and is a Fellow of the AICD and the AIM. She is Chairman of Streetwize Communications Ltd and of the Council of International House, University of Sydney. Denise has held diverse senior executive and consulting roles across a range of sectors, and is currently Chief Executive of the Insolvency Practitioners Association. Denise’s expertise covers economics and business management, including corporate and business strategy development and organisational change.
  • Prof Keith Sainsbury
    Keith is Director of SainSolutions, Professor of Marine Systems Science (University of Tasmania), Director of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) and Vice-Chair of the Board of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Prof Sainsbury’s internationally recognised expertise covers fisheries science, natural resource management and marine ecology.