ITSRR Advisory Board

Role and Function

The principal functions of the Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Advisory Board are set out in the Transport Administration Act 1988 and include:

• advising ITSRR and or making recommendations to ITSRR on safety and reliability;
• advising ITSRR on reports prepared by ITSRR and any other matter ITSRR may refer to the Board; and
• advising the Minister and or making recommendations on the safe operation of transport services (including safety regulation by transport authorities) and the reliability of publicly funded transport services.

The Advisory Board’s functions were amended by legislation in June 2005 to strengthen regulatory independence and remove any potential perception that the Board undertakes a management function within ITSRR.

The Chief Executive can, at their discretion, seek advice on rail safety matters from the Board.

Meetings

The Board meets monthly, unless additional or extraordinary meetings are considered necessary.

Method and Terms of Appointment of Board Members

The Board consists of five members:

• a Chairperson appointed by the Governor, on the Minister’s recommendation;
• three members appointed by the Minister (the appointed members); and
• the Chief Executive, ITSRR.

The members are appointed by the Minister and must have experience in one or more of the following:

• rail safety management systems;
• safety science;
• customer service;
• accident investigation;
• public administration.

The Chairperson must have experience in transport safety management systems (including rail safety management systems). The Minister is to consult with the Chairperson before appointing Board members.

Board Members

Mr Rob Schwarzer, Chairperson - appointed February 2006

Rob Schwarzer (BE (Civil), FIEAust, Churchill Fellow) is GHD’s Business Development Manager responsible for the company’s services to the railway industry. A civil engineer, he has over 36 years’ experience in the transport industry covering freight and passenger services.

Mr Schwarzer has worked with government-owned rail, bus and ferry services and headed the private sector Sydney Light Rail Company. He has extensive experience in construction, operation and strategic planning for transport systems in both public and private ownership.

Professor Jean Cross - appointed January 2007

Jean Cross (BSc, PhD, FIEAust, MAIP) is head of the UNSW’s School of Safety Sciences and is involved in teaching and research in the area of risk management. Professor Cross has a degree and PhD in Physics gained in the UK. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia and a member of the Risk Management Institute of Australasia.

Professor Cross is Chair of the Australian Standards Committee, which prepared the Australian/New Zealand Standard No. 4360 Risk Management and is a member of the International Standards Committee, which prepared an IEC standard on Project Risk Management. She has participated in the preparation of Australian Standards handbooks on environmental risk management, and risk management in outsourcing.

Dr Rob Lee - appointed January 2007

Rob Lee (BA (Hons), PhD, FRAeS, FCILT) has extensive experience in air safety investigation and is regarded as one of the foremost authorities on human factors in safety management.

Dr Lee was appointed by the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (BASI) as their first human factors specialist. In 1989 he was appointed Director of BASI. Under Dr Lee’s leadership, BASI fundamentally changed the manner in which aircraft accidents and incidents were investigated and analysed in Australia, particularly through the application of advanced human factors and systems safety concepts. He has also worked with State Rail in introducing human factors and systems safety concepts to rail operations and training.

Dr Lee is now an international consultant in human factors and systems safety in aviation, rail and other high technology industries and is a Group Captain in the RAAF Specialist Reserve. His airline clients have included Cathay Pacific, Emirates and Qantas, and the Australian Defence Force.

Dr David Graham – appointed May 2009

David Graham (BPharm, PhD, FPSA, FAICD, University of Kansas Fellow) has an extensive background in providing leadership in policy development and implementation, service delivery, regulation and stakeholder management.

During his career, Dr Graham served for more than 20 years in senior executive positions in the health and medical sector. He retired in 2007 as National Manager with the Therapeutic Goods Administration where he had responsibility for regulating the quality, safety and efficacy of therapeutic goods available in Australia.

Dr Graham currently holds several director positions, serving as a member of the Anglicare Canberra and Goulburn Board, Australian Red Cross Blood Services Board, Arthritis ACT Board, and International Global Medical Device Nomenclature (GMDN) Agency.

Mr Len Neist, Chief Executive ITSRR

Len Neist (MSc, BE, MPD) was appointed Chief Executive in May 2009. He joined ITSRR as Executive Director Rail Safety Regulation Division in June 2008.  Len is a senior engineering manager with extensive experience in strategic risk management, safety systems engineering, safety management system maturity assessment and incident investigation. 

Prior to joining ITSRR, Len was a member of the ITSRR Advisory Board and a  Principal Consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton responsible for their Assurance and Resilience business in this region. During his time with Booz Allen Hamilton he chaired a study into rail and bus passenger safety in the Sydney metropolitan area and was the program manager and specialist advisor to the Waterfall Special Commission of Inquiry. 

Len served in the Royal Australian Air Force as an aerospace engineer culminating in his final post as Director Airworthiness Coordination and Policy Agency for the Chief of Air Force. He is also certified as a Master Project Director and an ICAM lead investigator.