Paul Paterson to chair the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced Dr Paul Paterson as the new Chair of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).

The telecommunications and media consultant Dr Paul Paterson has recently been chief economist at the Department of Communications.

He has held senior roles in the private sector as a strategic advisor on telecommunications since 2004, following six years with Telstra during the transition to a competitive telecommunications market.

He managed Telstra’s role in the process of opening up the public telephone network to competition.

In the 1990s, Paterson worked for the NSW government, first as chief economist in the Premier’s Department during the Fahey government and later as executive director of policy and resources in the Department of State and Regional Development.

He has also worked as chief economist and as director of strategy for OTC Limited.

The Premier thanked outgoing Chair Dr Peter Boxall for his significant contributions in the role over the last seven years.

“I am pleased to welcome Dr Paterson to the role and have no doubt he will continue to protect the interests of consumers and taxpayers of NSW,” Ms Berejiklian said.

The IPART secretariat has around 130 professional staff for its price setting, quality monitoring and licence compliance roles for energy, water and transport utilities in NSW. It also conducts independent inquiries on economic and regulatory matters for the NSW Government.

Dr Paterson was previously appointed an IPART Tribunal member in 2013, before taking up his senior role in the Commonwealth Government.

He has 30 years’ of experience as a senior industry economist and has held senior roles in several Commonwealth and State government policy, research and regulatory bodies, including:

• Adjunct Professor, University of Technology Sydney Business School
• Head, Commonwealth Bureau of Communications Research & Chief Economist Department of Communications
• Director Regulation, Telstra
• Executive Director, NSW Office of Economic Development
• Visiting Economist, Commonwealth Treasury, and
• Assistant Secretary, Policy and Analysis, Commonwealth Bureau of Labour Market Research.

His first job in 1977 was at the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. In the mid-1980s he was with the Paris based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Dr Paterson will begin his appointment as Chair from 11 February 2019. 

He will join existing Tribunal members Mr Ed Willett and Ms Deborah Cope for a five-year term. 

In 2016 IPART undertook a review at the request of the NSW Government on the local government rating system.

The purpose of our review is to develop recommendations to improve the equity and efficiency of the rating system, in order to enhance councils’ ability to implement sustainable fiscal policies over the long term.