Rod Sims

Chairman, ACCC
(photo from the Daily Telegraph)

 

Relevant qualifications

• Bachelor of Commerce (Hons (first class)) (University of Melbourne)
• Master of Economics (ANU)

Relevant work history

• 1 August 2011 - current: Chairman, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
• 1988-1990 - Chief economic adviser to the then Prime Minister, Bob Hawke. 
• -2011 - Chair of the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal
• 2010-2011 - Chairman of InfraCo Asia Development (IAD) (prior to that, Non-Executive Director since March 2009)
• 1994-2011 - Director of Port Jackson Partners Limited
• Has also been
  • Councillor of the National Competition Council (at time of appointment to ACCC)
  • Adviser to the PM’s Multi-Party Climate Change Committee (at time of appointment to ACCC)
  • Member of the Research and Policy Council of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (at time of appointment to ACCC)
  • Chairman of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal of New South Wales (at time of appointment to ACCC)
  • Deputy Secretary in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
  • Deputy Secretary responsible for Transport in the Department of Transport and Communications. 
  • Development economist in Papua New Guinea
  • Development economist for the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Competition law speeches, research and publication

Speeches

• Rod Sims, ACCC: Future Directions (speech to Law Council Competition and Consumer Workshop 2011, Gold Coast, 27 August 2011)
• Rod Sims, Is competition a myth? (speech to the Australian Economic Forum, Sydney, 23 September 2011
• Rod Sims, Some Perspectives on Competition and Regulation (Melbourne Press Club, 10 October 2011)
• Rod Sims, Competition and Consumer issues in the top end (ACCC Breakfast Seminar, Darwin, 8 November 2011)
• Rod Sims, Competition and regulating monopolies: some perspectives from the ACCC (Western Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 15 November 2011)
• Rod Sims, ACCC Priorities in Enforcing Competition Law (Competition Law Conference, Sydney, 5 May 2012)

Other reserach and publications

• Business Council of Australia report (research), Strategic Framework for Emissions Reduction, 3 April 2007 (challenged the Rudd Government’s emissions trading scheme (in the then proposed form) – see ‘The Strategist‘ (The Australian,  17 October 2008))
• Sims, ‘Seizing the Opportunity to Reform and Restore Australia’s Economic Infrastructure‘ (report contained in the BCA’s report ‘Groundwork for Growth: Building the Infrastructure that Australia Needs‘)

Background

The Gillard Government nominated Rod Sims to be the next Chairman of the ACCC in May 2011. On 17 June 2011 the nomination was confirmned after received unanimous support by the states and territories.  His five year term started on 1 August 2011. 

Prior to his appointment as Chairman of the ACCC Sims had worked for the Australian Government, including as the Deputy Secretary in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and Deputy Secretary responsible for Transport in the Department of Transport and Communications.  From 1988 to 1990, he was the economic adviser to the then Prime Minister, Bob Hawke.  Until 2011 he was also:

• Chair of the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal
• Director of Port Jackson Partners Limited (since 1994)
• Business adviser, including adviser to the Business Council of Australia
• Councillor of the National Competition Council
• Adviser to the PM’s Multi-Party Climate Change Committee
• Member of the Research and Policy Council of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia.

See also my discussion of Sims' appointment on the competition blog.