Our councillors
Drawn from various parts of Australia, the councillors have a variety of backgrounds and offer a wide range of skills and experience. They are appointed for a three-year term by the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments.
David Crawford - President
Mr David Crawford was appointed as the President of the National Competition Council in December 2006, having been a councillor for eight years before that (including two years as acting Council President). Mr Crawford was reappointed in December 2009 for a further three year term. Mr Crawford lives in Perth, Western Australia.
He is also Chairman of the Airstralia Development Group Pty Ltd, Westralia Airports Corporation Pty Ltd, PAPT Holdings Pty Ltd, PAPT Nominees Pty Ltd, HRZ Wheats Pty Ltd, and Canola Breeders Western Australia Pty Ltd.
Mr Crawford is a director of Grain Foods CRC Ltd, Grain Foods Solutions Pty Ltd, Canola Breeders International Pty Ltd, and Pinnacle Corporate Pty Ltd.
He is also Chair of the Board of Advisors of Curtin University's Graduate School of Business and a management committee member of both educational and service organisations.
Mr Crawford was previously the corporate affairs director of Wesfarmers Limited, managing director of Western Collieries Ltd, chief operating officer of Ranger Minerals NL and managing director of Abosso Goldfields Limited. Mr Crawford has also been a member and/or chair of a number of government and non-government committees in the agriculture and mining industries.
Mr Crawford has an Honours degree in Economics from the University of Queensland and a Master of Arts (Political Science) from the University of Toronto. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Virginia Hickey
Ms Virginia Hickey is director of @ the Board Table, a corporate governance consulting business. She is also the chair of TransAdelaide, board member of Flinders Ports, Medical Insurance Group Australia and TransitPlus. Ms Hickey was formerly a Commissioner of the National Transport Commission through which she was involved in the Council of Australian Governments national reform agenda. Other previous board positions include member of the Council of the University of South Australia, Vice President of the Australian Institute of Company Directors SA & NT Division and board member of both Playford Capital and the Art Gallery of South Australia.
Ms Hickey was formerly a partner of Finlaysons Lawyers in Adelaide with particular expertise in corporate governance, accountants’ and directors’ liability and general commercial litigation including actions under the Trade Practices Act and the Corporations Law.
She was appointed as a Councillor of the National Competition Council in December 2003. Ms Hickey was reappointed in December 2006 and again in December 2009 for a further three year term.
Ms Hickey has a Bachelor of Arts from Monash University, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Melbourne and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Dr Doug McTaggart
Dr Doug McTaggart was first appointed as a Councillor of the National Competition Council in December 2000. He was reappointed in December 2003, December 2006 and again in December 2009 for a further three year term. He lives in Brisbane, Queensland.
Dr McTaggart is the Chief Executive of QIC. He is also a member of the Council of Australian Governments Reform Council (COAG Reform Council) and a board member of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA).
He has held various positions as an academic economist, most recently Professor of Economics and Associate Dean at Bond University. He was previously the Under Treasurer of the Queensland Department of Treasury. He has been president of the Economic Society of Australia, a member of the Australian Accounting Standards Board and a member of the Queensland University of Technology Council.
Dr McTaggart holds an Honours degree in Economics from the Australian National University and a Masters degree and PhD from the University of Chicago.
Rod Sims
Mr Rod Sims was appointed to National Competition Council in December 2003. Mr Sims was reappointed In December 2006 and again in December 2009 for a further three year term.
Mr Sims is a director of Port Jackson Partners Limited, which he joined in 1994. In addition to his role as a councillor with the National Competition Council, Mr Sims is also the chair of Inglewood Farms in Queensland, chair of Sustainable Energy Limited based in Papua New Guinea and a Director of InfraCo Asia based in Singapore. From 1996 to 2003, he was the chair of the NSW Rail Infrastructure Corporation and later chair of the State Rail Authority. Mr Sims was a member of the Panel that undertook the review of Australia’s energy policy for the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2002.
He previously worked for the Australian Government for over eight years, 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, Mr Sims was the economic advisor to the Prime Minister and prior to that worked for nine years overseas as an economic advisor to governments.
Mr Sims holds a first class Honours degree in Commerce from the University of Melbourne and a Masters of Economics from the Australian National University.