LEADING economist Danielle Wood will become the first woman to head a major Federal Government advisory body.<\/p>\n
The Albanese Government had originally named public servant Chris Barrett for the role of Productivity Commission chair.<\/p>\n
But Treasurer Jim Chalmers said in a statement on Wednesday that Mr Barrett had now declined the role.<\/p>\n
Ms Wood will head the commission for the next five years.<\/p>\n
“Ms Wood will be the first woman to lead the Productivity Commission or any of its predecessor agencies that stretch back for more than a century,” Dr Chalmers said.<\/p>\n
The CEO of the respected Grattan Institute has an honours degree in economics from Adelaide University and masters degrees in economics and competition law from Melbourne University.<\/p>\n
She was previously principal economist and director of merger investigations at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, a senior economist at NERA Economic Consulting, and a senior research economist at the Productivity Commission.<\/p>\n
Ms Wood is president of the Economic Society of Australia and co-founder of the Women in Economics Network.<\/p>\n
She said she was honoured to be offered the position, but also sad to be leaving the Grattan Institute.<\/p>\n
“My time at Grattan has been the most exhilarating, challenging, and fun of my career,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I’m proud that, under my leadership and that of my predecessor, founding CEO John Daley, Grattan has been able to evolve from an institute into an institution, with a central role in improving public policy in the interests of all Australians.”<\/p>\n
A pressing task will be modernising the independent body in line with the Federal Government’s agenda to overhaul of key economic institutions.<\/p>\n
This started with a major shake-up of the Reserve Bank of Australia, including a dual-board structure for setting monetary policy and running day-to-day operations.<\/p>\n