The State Records Commission consists of three ex-officio members: the Auditor General, the Information Commissioner, and the Ombudsman; and a Governor's appointee with recordkeeping experience from outside Government (that is, someone who is not a public service officer under the terms of the Public Sector Management Act 1994).
The current members of the State Records Commission are:
Mr Colin Murphy (Chairperson)
Auditor General
Ex-officio Member
Mr Sven Bluemmel
Information Commissioner
Ex-officio Member
Mr Chris Field
Western Australian Ombudsman
Ex-officio Member
Ms Justine McDermott
Associate Director, Archives and Records Management Services at the University of Western Australia
Governor's Appointee
Mr Colin Murphy
Chairperson
Auditor General for Western Australia
Ex-officio Member
(Commission member 2007- )
Colin Murphy is the Auditor General for Western Australia.
Prior to taking up his current role, Colin acted as Director General for the Department of Justice and then for the newly formed Department of the Attorney General. Colin acted as Under Treasurer during the 2005 state election and the 2005-06 budget.
Colin has extensive experience in finance and administration in both State and Commonwealth Government roles. He has previously worked for the Commonwealth Department of Finance in Perth and Washington DC and as Business Manager for Murdoch University. Within the State Government, he has held senior positions in the Department of Treasury and Finance, the Department of Land Administration, the Building Management Authority and the Office of the Auditor General.
Colin holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Western Australia. He is a Fellow, Past State President and a Board member of CPA Australia.
Mr Sven Bluemmel
Information Commissioner
Ex-officio Member
(Commission member 2009- )
Sven Bluemmel is the Western Australian Information Commissioner. Prior to taking up his appointment in May 2009, Sven held senior positions in the Public Sector Commission, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department. Sven also practised law in the private sector in Melbourne and Perth, where he was recognised as one of the leading lawyers in the areas of information and privacy law in the national publication Legal Profiles.
He has been a contributor to a number of publications, particularly in the areas of information and technology law. He is an alumnus of Leadership Western Australia and actively participates in the community. Sven holds a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a Bachelor of Science, both from the Australian National University.
Mr Chris Field
Ombudsman for Western Australia
Ex-officio Member
(Commission member 2007- )
Chris Field is the Western Australian Ombudsman. He began a five-year term of appointment on 26 March 2007.
Immediately prior to his appointment as Ombudsman, Chris was a Member of the Economic Regulation Authority, the independent economic regulator of the Western Australian electricity, gas, water and rail industries, and a Professor and Chair in Consumer Law at La Trobe University. He was also Chair of the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre and a Director of the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria.
Chris began his career as a lawyer at leading Australian law firm Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks (now Allens Arthur Robinson). Chris then joined the Consumer Law Centre Victoria, serving as the Centre’s Executive Director for seven years, and was widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading consumer advocates. During this period Chris served for six years as a Director of the Australian Consumers' Association, including four years as Chair.
Chris is an Adjunct Professor in the Centre for Advanced Consumer Research at the University of Western Australia which he helped to establish. He is also an Adjunct Professor at La Trobe University. He is the author of the university text, Current Issues in Consumer Law and Policy, (2006) Pearsons Australia as well as a numerous articles on consumer law and policy. As Principal of Chris Field Consulting Pty Ltd, he wrote two major research publications for the Victorian Department of Justice: Consumer Advocacy in Victoria: Research Paper No 7, March 2006 and Alternative Dispute Resolution in Victoria 2007. He is also the ‘Consumer Dealings’ editor of the Australian Business Law Review. He holds Arts and Law (Honours) degrees.
Governor's Appointee - Three Year Term
(Commission member 2009- )
Bachelor of Arts, Member of the Records Management Association of Australasia
Justine McDermott is the Associate Director, Archives and Records Management Services at the University of Western Australia (UWA).
Justine has 20 years’ experience in the field of information management. She joined the Sydney office of the National Archives of Australia in 1989, where she worked for seven years in the areas of Information Services and Records Evaluation and Disposal. After moving to Perth in 1996, Justine held the positions of University Archivist and Records Manager at Edith Cowan University and the Botanic Parks and Gardens Authority respectively, before joining the UWA as University Archivist in 1999. In 2004 she obtained her current position of Manager, Archives and Records Management Services where her main responsibilities include ensuring the UWA’s compliance with the State Records Act 2000 and the implementation of effective records management strategies, including the rollout of electronic document management, throughout the University.
Contact Details:
Post: c/- State Records Office
Perth Cultural Centre
Perth WA 6000
Phone: (08) 9427 3426
Fax: (08) 9427 3368
Email: c/- sro@sro.wa.gov.au