The IPSC is led by the Chair Commissioner and supported by at least six but no more than eight other Commissioners.
The Commissioners are appointed by the Special Minister of State following consultation with the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Parliamentary Standards (PJCPS).
Ms Rachel Hunter AO, PSM
Chair Commissioner
Ms Hunter is a distinguished public sector leader recognised for outcome-focused, values-based leadership and significant contributions to public administration, government policy and public sector reform.
She is a former Director-General of the Queensland Department of the Premier and Cabinet, where she held accountability for Ministerial and Ministerial Staff Codes of Conduct. She has also served as Under Treasurer at Queensland Treasury, Director-General of the Departments of Justice and Attorney-General, Education, Training and the Arts, and State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning, and as Queensland’s Public Service Commissioner.
Ms Hunter has also chaired the Board of Legal Aid Queensland and Children’s Health Queensland, and served as Deputy Chancellor of Griffith University.
She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2025 and awarded the Public Service Medal in 2020 for outstanding service to the Queensland community.
Ms Barbara Bennett PSM
Ms Bennett has had a distinguished career in social policy, including senior Commonwealth Public Service roles overseeing policy and programs for families, children, family safety, multicultural affairs and settlement services.
She played a key role in delivering the Prime Minister’s Women’s Safety Package in 2016 and overseeing the Third Action Plan to reduce violence against women and children. She also worked closely with governments and stakeholders on reforms arising from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
From 2019 to 2023, Ms Bennett served as a Commissioner on the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
She was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2017 for outstanding public service in social services.
Ms Mary Brennan
Ms Brennan is an experienced reviewer who has conducted multiple independent and sensitive reviews for the Commonwealth, particularly in code of conduct and public interest disclosure matters, including allegations of fraud, wrongful disclosure, conflicts of interest, bullying and harassment. She has handled several matters involving agency heads.
For a decade she served as a Sessional Senior Member of the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, where she heard occupational disciplinary matters, reviewed administrative decisions and conducted mediations.
Ms Brennan also served three terms on the Psychology Board of Australia and contributed to the Australian Public Service Commission's Senior Executive Service Integrity Masterclass Series, which included presenting with the former Commissioner. Prior to these roles, she spent 22 years in private legal practice and was the Canberra managing partner of a national firm for six years.
Mr Joseph Catanzariti AM
Mr Catanzariti served as Vice President of the Fair Work Commission from June 2013 to June 2024. Before that, he was a senior partner at Clayton Utz and led the firm’s Workplace Relations, Employment and Safety Practice Group for 25 years, advising major private sector and government clients on employment law and workplace relations.
He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2016 for significant service to the law, legal education, labour and employment relations, and professional legal bodies.
Mr Adair Donaldson
Mr Donaldson is an experienced lawyer who spent 25 years as a partner or director of law firms. His work has included advocating for survivors of child abuse, assisting veterans, negotiating Australia’s first PFAS groundwater contamination settlement, and supporting former child gymnasts whose advocacy contributed to the Australian Sports Commission’s restorative justice scheme in 2022.
Since 2007, Mr Donaldson has developed legal education, consultancy and advocacy initiatives at a national level for sporting bodies, peak bodies addressing gendered violence, schools, universities and workplaces, with a focus on conflict resolution, social issues and cultural change.
In 2020, he was engaged by the Queensland Law Society to write and produce its sexual harassment resource, now used by law societies across Australia.
Ms Joanne Muller AM
Ms Muller holds qualifications in science, teaching, law and governance, and is a solicitor with extensive statutory appointment experience. From 1994 to 2014, she served as a Member, Chair and Deputy Chair of NSW health professional disciplinary tribunals, and since 2000 has chaired the Committee of Review (NSW).
She has also represented health consumer interests in a range of forums, including as a member of the TGA Advisory Committee on Medicines. Ms Muller was an inaugural member of the Physiotherapy Board of Australia, served two terms on the Psychology Board of Australia, and has just completed three terms as the legal member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of NSW.
Ms Muller is Chair of the Mining and Petroleum Competence Board (NSW) and has additional regulatory experience in radiation, cemeteries and child safety, the latter reflecting a significant long-term volunteering commitment.
She is a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to youth, community health and the law, and is listed on the COVID-19 Honour Roll.
Mr Colin Neave AM
Colin Neave is a former Commonwealth Ombudsman (2012-2017). He has held a number of senior public sector roles, including Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department, Managing Director of the Legal Aid Commission of New South Wales, Secretary of the Victorian Attorney-General’s Department, and Director-General of the South Australian Department of Public and Consumer Affairs.
He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2005 for service to public administration and to the banking and finance industry, particularly through dispute resolution.