Reviewer profiles
The Hon Deirdre O'Connor and Mr Mick Palmer retired from their positions as Independent Reviewers in 2011. Their positions were taken up by Emeritus Professor Dennis Pearce and Ms Victoria Rubensohn in August 2011.
Dennis Pearce AO
Emeritus Professor Dennis Pearce is a consultant with HWL Ebsworth Lawyers and a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University (ANU) College of Law. Dennis was formerly the Dean of the Law School at ANU.
He has held many appointments with government and other bodies. Among those appointments was that of Commonwealth Ombudsman, Chairman of the Australian Press Council, Chair of the Copyright Law Review Committee, Member of the Copyright Tribunal of Australia, Chair of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeal Tribunal, and President of the ACT Racing Appeals Tribunal.
Dennis was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2003 and was also awarded a Centenary Medal in that year.
Dennis has published many books and articles, the most well known being Statutory Interpretation in Australia now in its 7th edition and Delegated Legislation in Australia (3rd edition). He is also the editor of Lexis Nexis Administrative Law Service.
Dennis holds the degrees of Bachelor of Laws (Adelaide), Master of Laws and PhD (ANU). He is admitted to legal practice in South Australia, the ACT and NSW.
Victoria Rubensohn AM
Victoria Rubensohn is the current Convenor of the Classification Review Board and since 1991 has been Principal of international communications consultancy Omni Media, which specialises in communications regulatory policy. She is a consumer representative member of the Mobile Premium Services Code Review Panel and is a member of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network Standing Advisory Committee.
Victoria is a board member of the Communications Law Centre and Director and Company Secretary of Media Access Australia. She has worked in radio and television in Australia and the USA and is a member of the Royal Television Society (UK). Victoria has worked extensively internationally in communications institution- building and is co-creator of a United Nations Convention on Disaster Communications.
Victoria has chaired government and non-government bodies and committees including:
- Chair of the National Film and Sound Archive
- Chair of the Telephone Information Services Standards Council for 15 years
- Chair of the Federal Government’s Copyright Convergence Group
- Chair of the Federal Government’s Digital Radio Advisory Committee
Victoria has been a Member of the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal and a Member of the Immigration Review Tribunal. She is a former President of the Communications and Media Law Association and has also been a member of the Copyright Law Review Committee.
Victoria was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2004.
Victoria holds a Bachelor of Arts (Sydney), Master of Arts [in Government] (Sydney), Bachelor of Laws (UNSW) and Master of Human Rights (Sydney).