Faculty staff profile

Gary Banks has been Chairman of the Productivity Commission since its inception in April 1998. Prior to that he worked at the Centre for International Economics, Canberra, and was a consultant to both the OECD and World Bank. In earlier years, he was a Senior Economist with the GATT Secretariat in Geneva, and Visiting Fellow at the Trade Policy Research Centre, London. He holds degrees in economics from Monash University and the Australian National University.

In addition to his CEO role at the Productivity Commission, Gary has personally headed national inquiries on a variety of public policy and regulatory topics. In 2005, he presided on the Commission's Review of National Competition Policy and led the study for the Council of Australian Governments into Economic Implications of an Ageing Population. In 1997-98 he was a member of the Commonwealth's Review of Higher Education Financing and Policy. He also chaired the Australian Government's Regulation Taskforce, which reported to the Prime Minister and Treasurer in January 2006.

Gary is a member of the Advisory Board of the Melbourne Institute and is on the Board of Advisory Fellows for the Regulatory Institutions Network at the Australian National University. 

Gary was awarded the Order of Australia in June 2007 for services to the development of public policy in microeconomic reform and regulation.

Gary is a presenter for the MBA elective, Leading Policy Reform. The elective examines the policies that have led to Australia's economic growth and stability over the past 15 years; policies that could lead to future growth and stability, and the forces that lead the process.