NO.112

BOARD OF TAXATION APPOINTMENTS

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Eric Mayne and Mr Curt Rendall

to the Board of Taxation for terms of two years commencing from 15January 2005.

I am also pleased to announce the reappointment of Mr Richard Warburton as

Chairman of the Board of Taxation for a term of three years, Mr Brett Heading

and Mr Chris Jordan as members of the Board for terms of three years and Ms

Jane Schwager as a member of the Board for a term of two years. These reappointments

will commence from 15January 2005. Mr Jordan has also been appointed as Deputy

Chairman of the Board of Taxation.

Mr Mayne is the Managing Partner of Mallesons Stephen Jaques. Mr Mayne specialises

in goods and services tax, sales tax, customs and excise duty and payroll tax,

and advises on the implications of such taxes on business arrangements and commercial

contracts. Mr Mayne was a member of the GST Technical Committee which advised

the Treasury and the Australian Taxation Office on GST issues, an external member

of the Australian Taxation Office’s GST Public Rulings Panel, a member

of the Taxation Committee of the Law Council of Australia and an honorary consultant

of the Australian Law Reform Commission on Customs Duty.

Mr Rendall is a principal of Rendall Kelly, a firm of chartered accountants

specialising in small business. Mr Rendall is a member of the Board of Taxation’s

advisory panel and an Associate Commissioner for the Productivity Commission’s

public inquiry, Smash Repair and Insurance. During 2002-03 he was a member of

the Dawson Committee review of the competition provisions of the Trade Practices

Act.

The Board of Taxation is an independent, non-statutory body established to

advise the Government on the development and implementation of taxation legislation

and the ongoing operation of the tax system.

In addition, I wish to thank Mr John Bronger and Mr Tony D’Aloisio for

their contributions to the Board of Taxation.

I take this opportunity to congratulate Messrs Mayne and Rendall on their appointment

to the Board.

CANBERRA

22 December 2004