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.
