The AER has an independent Board made up of two Commonwealth members, and three state/territory members. The Governor-General appoints the members for terms of up to five years. One member is appointed as Chair.
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AER Board
Chair
Clare Savage
Clare Savage was appointed Chair of the Australian Energy Regulator in September 2019.
Over the last 17 years Clare has acquired significant leadership experience in the Australian energy industry. She has a passion for the energy sector and a commitment to its development, particularly through this current transition.
Clare has worked extensively on a range of issues including governance; climate change and renewables policy; electricity and gas market design and operation; network regulation and pricing; and retail market regulation.
Prior to joining the AER, Clare was Deputy Chair of the Energy Security Board. Together with the Chair of the ESB, Clare has worked to bring a greater level of coordination to the activities of the three energy market institutions and overseen the delivery of many of the recommendations of the Finkel Review. Clare was responsible for the development of the Retailer Reliability Obligation which confers considerable new responsibilities on the AER.
Prior to joining the ESB, Clare was the Executive Director, Policy, Energy & Climate Change at the Business Council of Australia and worked with Australia’s largest businesses, including electricity and gas producers and consumers, to develop a suite of integrated energy and climate change policies.
From 2012 to 2015 Clare held executive positions within EnergyAustralia spanning corporate strategy; business development; policy & government affairs; and public affairs gaining deep insight into competitive wholesale and retail electricity and gas markets. Prior to this Clare held several roles at the Energy Supply Association of Australia (ESAA) including Chief Executive Officer providing strategic thought leadership to the industry and working with governments to develop policies to support outcomes for both the competitive and regulated sectors of the industry.
Clare commenced her career in the public service – initially in the UK and then at the Federal Department of the Treasury. It was during her time at Treasury that her passion for the energy sector was ignited.
Clare has a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) and a Bachelor of Arts (Politics and History) from The University of Melbourne.
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Members
Jim Cox PSM - Deputy Chair
Jim Cox was appointed Deputy Chair of the Australian Energy Regulator on 1 June 2020 with his appointment commencing on 26 June 2020. In 2022 Jim was reappointed to the role of full-time AER Deputy Chair for a further two years.
Jim has been involved with the AER since 2013. In 2017 he was reappointed as a full-time state and territory member of the AER Board for a further three-years.
Jim has held positions with the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Social Welfare Policy Secretariat of the Department of Social Security. He was a principal economist at the Office of the Economic Planning Advisory Council between 1986 and 1989. Between 1989 and 1992 he was a consultant to the New South Wales Cabinet Office. Jim was Principal Adviser to the Government Pricing Tribunal of New South Wales from 1992 and was a member of IPART from January 1996 to September 2013. He was Acting Chairman of IPART in 2004, 2009–10 and 2011 and a visiting fellow at Monash University in 1985.
Jim assisted the New Zealand Government with social policy changes during the early part of 1991. Jim has also written extensively on economic and social policy issues. This work has been published by, among others, the New Zealand Business Roundtable and the Centre for Independent Studies.
Jim was awarded the Public Service Medal in the Australia Day honours list in 2011 for outstanding public service to IPART.
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Justin Oliver
Justin Oliver was appointed a Board Member of the Australian Energy Regulator in February 2020.
Justin was formerly a partner of MinterEllison, specialising in competition law and energy regulation. Prior to joining MinterEllison, Justin was the head of the ACCC’s regulatory law practice, advising on all aspects of energy, communications and transport regulation, and became the head of legal for the Australian Energy Regulator upon its creation in 2005. Justin has also worked as a senior lawyer in the Victorian Premier’s Department.
For two decades, Justin has acted for governments, regulators and industry participants involved in all parts of Australia’s energy sector. He has worked extensively on a range of relevant issues including gas pipeline access arrangements and electricity network determinations; energy policy reform; and a range of compliance and enforcement issues under laws governing the operation of wholesale energy markets, energy networks, and energy retail businesses.
Justin holds a Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Monash University.
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Office of the AER
Chief Executive Officer
Anthea Harris
Anthea has a long and distinguished career in the Australian energy and climate change industry.
Anthea was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Security Board (ESB). Prior to this, Anthea was Deputy Secretary of the Energy Group within the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
Anthea has previously been Chief Executive Officer of the Climate Change Authority having established this agency from the ground up and has held senior roles within the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.
Anthea also led the Secretariat for the National Emissions Trading Taskforce and has previously worked at the Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs and Resources, Frontier Economics, the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Productivity Commission.