Meet the Gaming Code of Practice Adjudication Panel

The Panel will be chaired by former Deputy Secretary, Liquor, Gaming & Racing, Paul Newson who is joined by Dr Anastasia Hronis, Brett Boon and Ian Mackay.

Each member has extensive experience with the club industry as a regulator, legal advisor, harm minimisation researcher and counsellor, and club industry executive and leader.

Paul Newson – Chair

Paul is Principal at Senet Advisory and founder of the gambling law and regulation conference Regulating the Game. Paul is the former Deputy Secretary responsible for liquor, gambling & racing public policy and regulation in NSW, and is the former President, and a Patron of the International Association of Gaming Regulators. Paul has over 25 years of experience in strategic and operational leadership. His career has moved through compliance and enforcement, public policy and regulatory reform before transitioning into advisory practice.

Paul advocates for considered risk-taking, continuous improvement and innovation underpinned with ethical leadership to secure economic and social outcomes for a successful club industry.

Paul holds a Bachelor of Arts (Politics), a Bachelor of Laws, a Master of Legal Studies and a Master of Law & Management.

Dr Anastasia Hronis

Anastasia is a clinical psychologist and founder of the Australian Institute for Human Wellness. She is a practising clinician, providing individual psychological therapy, group therapy programs, coaching courses and workshops. Anastasia is an academic, lecturer and researcher at the University of Technology, Sydney, and is actively involved in clinical research. She has published in a number of prestigious academic journals and has presented her research at national and international conferences.

Anastasia holds a Bachelor of Psychology, a Master of Clinical Psychology and PhD from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Brett Boon

Brett is a Senior Partner at Thomson Geer and leads the firm's Gaming & Leisure Group, which consists of a number of specialist practitioners. Brett has more than 30 years of experience with gaming and registered clubs law, acting and advising on a broad range of matters including gaming, liquor and registered club regulation, amalgamations and de-amalgamations, commercial and property matters for major registered clubs and industry associations in NSW.

His clients include a large range of registered clubs and peak industry bodies such as the RSL and Services Clubs Association, Leagues Clubs Australia, ClubsNSW and GolfNSW.

Brett was appointed by ClubsNSW to the industry's Governance Code Authority in 2005. Brett now brings valuable experience gained from administering the Governance Code for over 18 years to the new Gaming Code Panel.

Ian Mackay

Since July 2014, Ian has been the CEO of Canberra’s Southern Cross Club, a leading club in the ACT. The Club includes licensed premises at Woden, Tuggeranong and Jamison, plus the Yacht Club at Yarralumla. The Club group has diverse businesses including MV Southern Cross Cruises, the Southern Cross Health Club, a network of Anytime Fitness franchises across the city and the Stellar Canberra health and wellness centre in Woden.

With qualifications and experience in economics, marketing, and politics, Ian has previously worked in the industry with Racing NSW, The Australian Turf Club and Tabcorp.

For any enquiries about the Club Gaming Code of Practice, including the work of the Panel, please contact ClubASSIST on 1300 730 001 or [email protected].