Lynelle Briggs to head integrity review of public sector appointments

The Minister for the Public Service, Katy Gallagher, is to announce the new review of public sector board appointments during an appearance on Sunday at the Chifley Research Centre Conference in Canberra.

Pointing to appointments on the Productivity Commission's board and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Senator Gallagher is expected to say that the Morrison government made a "mockery of the process" and she was moving to ensure future appointments were made on merit rather than politics.

"This review is all about putting an end to the jobs for mates culture that defined the previous Morrison Government's public sector appointments," Minister Gallagher said in a statement released to The Canberra Times.

"Being on a government board should be about what you know, not who you know."

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The Briggs review will clarify the role of public sector boards and the skills and standards that are required, make board recruitment more transparent and look into how ministers are advised on the selection of board members.

It will also seek to improve the diversity of board membership, with a view to increasing the representation of women, First Nations people, people outside major cities and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Ms Briggs was one of three former commissioners in the landmark aged care inquiry. She was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2013 for distinguished service to public administration.

"I look forward to Ms Briggs' robust recommendations on how the Government can put merit and integrity back at the centre of the public sector appointment process," the Minister said.

The review is expected to be finished by the middle of this year.

Late last year, the Attorney-General announced the end to the heavily politicised Administrative Appeals Tribunal, stating the reputation of the body which reviews federal government decisions had been "irredeemably damaged" after years of "disgraceful" Coalition cronyism. Mark Dreyfus also pledged to fix a "shocking" case backlog.