Former Clayton Utz senior associate Sven Bluemmel has recently been appointed as the Western Australian government's new Information Commissioner.

Bluemmel - who has also worked for federal Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business, and most recently the WA Public Sector Commission - was attracted to the role, because he believed that working for government would be interesting and satisfying. "I wanted to be involved in policy formulation rather than just transactions. I did a lot of work for Commonwealth government agencies and private clients in privacy and compliance, and felt that FOI was a critical area to government transparency of decision-making," he said.

The information commissioner position was advertised nationally and a panel recommended Bluemmel to a five-year term. In his new role, he is expected to make legally binding decisions on disputes under current legislation, encourage greater awareness of freedom of information rights and obligations. "I want to contribute as much as possible to the openness and transparency of government decision-making through sound and expedient decision on FOI disputes," he said.

Maddocks special counsel Jennifer Huppert left the firm to begin a new life of politics in the Victorian State Parliament.