The AEMC is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members and the reappointment of two existing members to the Reliability Panel:

• Keith Robertson, General Manager Regulatory Policy, Origin Energy, has been appointed as the market customer representative for a period of three years until 31 December 2022. Mr Robertson is responsible for advocating for effective wholesale, retail and environmental market regulations at Origin Energy. He has over 20 years of experience in the energy sector and has held senior positions in strategy and development, energy trading and sales and marketing. 
• Dr Paul Simshauser, Executive General Manager Energy Markets, Infigen Energy, has been appointed as the generator representative for a period of three years until 31 December 2022. Dr Simshauser has more than two decades of experience in the energy sector, including roles as Director-General of the Queensland Department of Energy & Water Supply and Chief Economist at AGL Energy. Dr Simshauser is also a Professor of Economics at Griffith University where he specialises in Energy Economics and Energy Policy and he has a PhD in economics from the University of Queensland. 

The Commission welcomes the new members and we look forward to their participation in the Panel’s work on reviewing and reporting on the safety, security and reliability of the national electricity system.

The Commission also wishes to thank outgoing Panel members Richard Wrightson and Mark Collette for their valued contributions to the Reliability Panel over recent years.

The following two members have been reappointed:

• Trevor Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer, Ausgrid, has been reappointed as the distribution network service provider (DNSP) representative.
• Gavin Dufty, Manager Policy and Research, St Vincent de Paul Society has been reappointed as the end use consumer representative.

Mr Dufty and Mr Armstrong have extensive experience as Panel members and have made significant contributions to the Panel over their long period of tenure on the Panel. Recognising that there is a need to rotate representation on the Panel, their reappointment allows for an appropriate transition period to facilitate the appointment of new end use consumer and DNSP representatives on the Panel. There will be a comprehensive selection process, encouraging the best replacements to be obtained with broad stakeholder support.

Reliability Panel

The Reliability Panel, which forms part of the AEMC’s institutional arrangements, reviews and reports on the safety, security and reliability of the national electricity system. The Panel determines standards and some of the guidelines used by AEMO and participants which help to maintain a secure and reliable power system for consumers.

The Panel is comprised of members who represent a range of participants in the national electricity market, including consumer groups, generators, network businesses, retailers and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).