The Chairman of the Australian Energy Market Commission, Dr John Tamblyn, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr John Ryan, PSM, as an acting AEMC Commissioner. Mr Ryan’s appointment was approved by the South Australian Minister for Energy, Mr Patrick Conlon, on the recommendation of the State and Territory members of the Ministerial Council on Energy.

The Commission comprises one full-time and two part-time Commissioners. In accordance with the provisions of the Australian Energy Market Commission Establishment Act 2005, two Commissioners are appointed on the recommendation of the participating State and Territory jurisdictions and one is appointed on the recommendation of the Commonwealth.

One of the part-time Commissioners, Ms Liza Carver, resigned in June 2008 after three years of service to the AEMC with effect from September 2008. Mr Ryan’s appointment is to fill that position on an acting basis while the Ministerial Council on Energy conducts a process for appointment of a replacement part-time Commissioner.

Until recently Mr Ryan was deputy secretary the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism recently established by the Rudd Government. Prior to that he was the deputy secretary in the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources.

For the last seven years he has been a leading adviser on Australian Government policy development in the areas of energy market reform, climate change, investment in resources, energy and manufacturing and energy technology development. He was the inaugural chair of the Standing Committee of Officials for the Council of Australian Governments Ministerial Council on Energy and has overseen significant aspects of the energy reform agenda during his time in that role.

Mr Ryan was a member of the Prime Minister’s 2004 Energy White Paper Task Force which proposed reform to fuel taxes, measures to improve energy efficiency and the development of low emission technologies. He was head of the secretariat for the Prime Minister’s Review of Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy which examined impediments to and opportunities for the expansion of uranium mining, downstream processing and development of nuclear energy in Australia. Mr Ryan was the chair of the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency in 2006 and 2007.

In welcoming Mr Ryan’s appointment to the Commission, Dr Tamblyn commented that the organisation would benefit greatly from his wide policy experience and his advice and guidance on the implementation of the AEMC’s work program in the months ahead.

Mr Ryan assumed his position at the AEMC on 1 September 2008.

For more information contact
AEMC Chief Executive, Steven Graham on 02 8296 7800
AEMC Communication, Prudence Anderson (02) 8296 7800 or 0404 821 935