Joyce announces shake up of infrastructure Australia

Deniliquin Freighters CEO Vicki Meyer has been appointed to the Infrastructure Australia in one of a range of changes at that organisation.

Federal transport and infrastructure minister Barnaby Joyce announced six other new members and a new chairman along with flagging a revised Statement of Expectations (SoE) “to guide the future direction of the key advisory body” that the government will formulate “in the coming weeks”.

Joyce added that under the revised SoE, “Infrastructure Australia will have a stronger focus on rural, regional and remote infrastructure priorities”.

Meyer comes with more than 30 years’ experience in agribusiness.

She also has an extensive background in the finance sector and considerable knowledge of transport and water infrastructure and leads the Cancer Assistance Network.

Tamworth Regional Council mayor Colin Murray will chair the revamped body.

Murray has more than two decades of experience in the construction industry and considerable knowledge of local infrastructure issues in regional areas, gained through previous roles including chair of Regional Cities New South Wales and deputy chair of Regional Capitals Australia.

The government said of other new board members, who will have three-year terms:

• Vonnette Mead is the operations manager of building company Meadcon and a former Board member of the Tasmanian branch of Master Builders Australia. She is currently a member of the Tasmanian Building and Construction Training Board and a councillor at Latrobe Council.
• Amanda Cooper is a director of Urban Utilities in Queensland and a former Brisbane City councillor. She has a deep understanding of local government, specifically in the fields of infrastructure planning and delivery, and urban planning and development.
• Elizabeth Schmidt currently sits on the board of the Dalrymple Community Cultural Centre Trust and is a former mayor of the Charters Towers Regional Council. She has extensive experience in local government and in the transport sector.
• Dr Vanessa Guthrie AO has an extensive background in the energy, mining, communications and transport sectors. She currently holds non-executive director positions at Santos Ltd, Tronox Holdings, AdBri Limited and Lynas Rare Earths Ltd. She is a former chair of the Minerals Council of Australia Board.
• Robert Moffat is the CEO of the Australasian Centre for Rail Innovation and vice-chair of the International Railway Research Board. He has extensive experience in engineering and planning gained from a long career in the transport sector.

“The new appointments mean the gender ratio of the Board will be 50 per cent female,” Joyce said.