Our councillors
There are currently four councillors of the National Competition Council, with a variety of backgrounds and a wide range of skills and experience. The councillors are appointed by the Governor-General under section 29C of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, with the agreement of a majority of the states and territories party to the Competition Principles Agreement.
David Crawford - President
David Crawford is the President of the National Competition Council. He was reappointed for a period of three years in December 2009, having been President since December 2006 and a councillor for eight years before that (including two years as acting Council President).
In addition to serving as the Council President, Mr Crawford is the Non-Executive Chairman of Perth Airport Pty Limited (formerly Westralia Airports Corporation Pty Limited) (and related companies)-the operator of Perth Airport-having taken up that position in April 2000. Mr Crawford is also a director of Clough Limited, an ASX listed engineering and construction service provider. He joined the Board of Clough in May 2011. Mr Crawford is also Chair of the Board of Advisors of Curtin University's Graduate School of Business.
Mr Crawford was previously the corporate affairs director of Wesfarmers Limited, managing director of Western Collieries Ltd, chief operating officer of Ranger Minerals NL, managing director of Abosso Goldfields Limited and Executive Chairman of Export Grains Centre Ltd.
Mr Crawford has also been a member and/or chair of a number of government and non-government boards and committees in the agriculture and mining industries, a management committee member of both educational and service organisations and director/chairman of a number of companies across various 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).
Mr Crawford lives in Perth, Western Australia.
Virginia Hickey
Ms Virginia Hickey was reappointed as a councillor for a period of three years in December 2009 having been first appointed in December 2003.
Ms Hickey is director of @ the Board Table, a corporate governance consulting business. She is also a board member of Flinders Ports, SAFECOM and the Medical Insurance Group Australia.
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. Her other previous board positions include the Chair of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Council, Chair of TransAdelaide, 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 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, directors’ accountants’ liability and general commercial litigation including actions under the Trade Practices Act and the Corporations Law.
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.
Professor Stephen King
Professor Stephen King was appointed to the Council in December 2011, for a 1 year period.
Professor King is Professor of Economics at Monash University. He is also a part-time Member of the Economic Regulation Authority of WA and a Lay Member of the High Court of New Zealand.
Professor King's main areas of expertise are in competition economics, regulation and industrial organization. His research has been published widely, including in major international economics journals.
From 2009-2011 Professor King was Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University. Prior to joining Monash University, Stephen was a Member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Before that, he was a Professor of Economics at the University of Melbourne and a Professor of Management (Economics) at the Melbourne Business School.
Professor King was a member of the Victorian Infrastructure Planning Council between 2000 and 2002 and a member of the Executive Committee of the Prime Minister's Home Ownership Task Force in 2002-2003.
In 1985, Professor King received the University Medal from ANU for his undergraduate studies in economics. He completed his PhD in economics from Harvard University in 1991. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.
Dr Doug McTaggart
Dr Doug McTaggart was reappointed as a councillor for a period of three years in December 2009 having been first appointed in December 2000. He lives in Brisbane, Queensland.
Dr McTaggart is the Chief Executive of the Queensland Investment Corporation. 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).
Dr McTaggart 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.
