Australia-Germany Advisory Group

The Prime Minister of Australia and the German Chancellor have announced the membership of the newly created Australia-Germany Advisory Group. The purpose of the group is to examine ways to build even closer ties between Australia and Germany and was set up during Chancellor Merkel’s visit to Australia for the G20 Summit and bilateral meetings last November.

Australian Senator Mathias Cormann will co-chair the Advisory Group and lead the Australian members, who hold collectively significant experience in business, academia, science, government and the arts and German Minister of State Professor Maria Böhmer will be Germany’s co-chair.

The Group will meet in Germany and in Australia before finalising and providing a report to Chancellor Merkel and the Prime Minister later this year.

Full list of members:

• Mr Michael Chaney AO Chairman, National Australia Bank
• Mr Jeff Connolly, CEO, Siemens Australia
• Mr Peter Jennings PSM, Executive Director, Australian Strategic Policy Institute
• Dr Nicholas Milton, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director, Canberra Symphony OrchestraConductor, General Music Director, Saarländisches Staatstheater
• Professor Brian Schmidt AC, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University
• Ms Lucy Turnbull AO, President, German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce
• Mr David Ritchie AOAustralian Ambassador to Germany
• Professor Dr. Maria Böhmer, Minister of State, Federal Foreign Office
• Mr. Volkmar Klein, Member of the Bundestag and Chair of the Germany-Australian Parliamentary Friendship Group
• Mr Barrie Kosky, Intendant (Director) of the Komische Oper Berlin#
• Mr Bernd Leuker, Member of the Executive Board and the Global Management Board of SAP
• Professor Dr. Volker PerthesDirector, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik
• Professor Anja SchwarzJunior Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of PotsdamDr.
• Christoph Müller, German Ambassador to Australia