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Appointment of AUSTRAC Chief Executive Officer

The Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP
Media Release

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Brendan Thomas as the next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC).

AUSTRAC is Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulator and specialist financial intelligence unit, and plays a key role in the detection and prevention of serious crime and terrorism both in Australia and overseas.

Mr Thomas’s five year full-time appointment will commence on 29 January 2024. Mr Thomas will fill the vacancy resulting from the appointment of Ms Nicole Rose PSM as a Deputy Commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

Mr Thomas has been a Deputy Secretary at the NSW Department of Communities and Justice since November 2021, with responsibility for implementing major changes to reduce the over-representation of the Indigenous population in the NSW criminal and child protection systems.

I congratulate Mr Thomas on his appointment and thank him for taking on this important role. I also take this opportunity to thank Ms Rose for her significant contribution to AUSTRAC during her term, and Mr Peter Soros for acting as CEO while the merit-based selection process was conducted.

For more information about the work of the AUSTRAC, please visit the AUSTRAC website.

Biography

Mr Thomas is a Wiradjuri man. He has significant experience in leading, designing and delivering major public services, especially in the criminal and civil justice systems in NSW, and in leading organisational reform.

In 2021 Mr Thomas was appointed Deputy Secretary at the NSW Department of Communities and Justice. Prior to this Mr Thomas was the CEO of Legal Aid NSW.

Mr Thomas is a fellow of the Australian and New Zealand School of Government.