TPB unveils additional member appointments

Several new part-time appointments have been made to the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) to ensure it has the capacity to properly regulate the profession.

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones revealed in a statement that the government had reappointed Steven Dobson for a one-year period and Debra Anderson for a two-year period to the board.

Following a report from Accountants Daily, Accounting Times’ sister brand, on the appointment of Gascoigne to the board for a three-year period, the government also appointed Joanna Bird and Merran Kelsall for a three-year period.

Jones said the Albanese government was committed to ensuring the TPB had the expertise to effectively regulate tax practitioners and uphold professional and ethical standards.

“These appointments bring a diverse range of skills and experience to support the TPB’s critical role in maintaining public trust in the tax profession,” he said.

Before Anderson was reappointed for two years, she had been a member of the TPB since February 2019 and was chosen for the board based on her experience as a tax agent, former BAS agent, and operator of her own tax advisory business for 20 years.

Dobson was also reappointed after having been a member of the TPB since 30 March 2022 and has various experiences on various government boards in Western Australia.

Dobson currently works in an industry associated with tax practitioners and has operated as a financial advisory business for over 20 years.

Joining the board, Bird was said to be an experienced financial services regulator, lawyer, and academic, and was a senior executive at ASIC for 10 years.

Currently, Bird is a self-employed consultant providing advice on financial market and services regulation, as well as an adjunct Professor in law at the University of NSW and Monash University.

As previously reported, Gascoigne joined the board as an experienced tax agent, governance professional, and educator.

In addition to this, Gascoigne founded and operated a regional accounting firm for 18 years and provided tax and advisory services to small businesses, as well as being active within the mentoring and coaching space.

Finally, Kelsall was also appointed to the board and is an experienced governance professional, CEO, and academic, as well as sitting on various other boards.

Previously, Kelsall was the chair and CEO of the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, a member of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, a partner at BDO, and Professor of Practice at the UNSW.

“The TPB is the national body responsible for the registration and regulation of tax practitioners,” Jones said.

“Its work supports public trust and confidence in the integrity of the tax profession by ensuring that tax agent services are provided to the community in accordance with appropriate standards of professional and ethical conduct.”