Greg Combet to replace former Howard government treasurer Peter Costello as chair of the Future Fund
Former ACTU leader and climate change minister Greg Combet has been appointed the new head of Australia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced Mr Combet would serve as the next chair of the Future Fund for a five-year term.
Mr Combet’s appointment follows the resignation of former chair and federal Liberal treasurer Peter Costello, after 14 years on the Future Fund board.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Greg Combet has extensive experience in investment and superannuation as well as government and the climate and energy transformation in particular,” Dr Chalmers told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
“What we’ve been able to do here is ensure that we can renew and refresh a really important economic institution with an appointment of this calibre.”
Mr Combet was climate change minister under former prime minister Julia Gillard.
He was also a member of the executive board of the national COVID-19 co-ordination commission.
It’s expected he will take up the position of Future Fund chair in the middle of 2024 after finishing his time as chair of the Net Zero Economy Agency.
The government has also appointed non-executive Macquarie director Nicola Wakefield Evans to the Future Fund board, along with Commonwealth Bank Officers Superannuation Corporation chair Rosemary Vilgan.
Former Macquarie banker Mary Reemst will serve as the acting chair from February 4 until Mr Combet starts in the role.
The Future Fund was set up in 2006 to strengthen the nation’s long-term financial position and cover public sector superannuation liabilities.
The fund manages money on behalf of the federal government to strengthen the long-term financial position, as well as handle larger projects that are expected to grow over time.
The Future Fund oversees six other wealth funds, including a $22.3 billion medical research fund, a $4.4 billion disaster ready fund and a $16.9 billion disability care fund.
It also oversees the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, which was set up by the Labor government in 2023 to deal with housing supply.
Its portfolio has grown steadily since its inception and is now worth more than $200 billion.
It has delivered an average annual return of 8.8 per cent per annum over the past decade.
