The Minister for Industrial Relations, the Hon. Sophie Cotsis MP, today announced the appointments of:
Deputy President McDonald is a legal practitioner with over 36 years’ experience. She was called to the Bar in NSW in 2007 and appointed as a Commissioner in 2022. Prior to her appointment, Commissioner McDonald acted as a barrister in a broad range of cases including work health and safety prosecutions before the Industrial Court and later District Court of NSW as well as complex disputes in the Commission for NSW government bodies.
Ms Rizzo is a senior legal and industrial relations practitioner with 30 years’ experience. She was admitted as a solicitor in NSW in 1996. She has had carriage of many complex high profile public law matters in a broad range of jurisdictions including employment law, industrial relations, anti-discrimination, work health and safety and two special commissions of inquiry. She led the Employment Law and Industrial Relations Practice Group at the NSW Crown Solicitor’s Office and is currently the Executive Director of the Industrial Relations Branch at the NSW Premier’s Department.
Mr Brock brings 32 years of experience as an industrial relations practitioner. He commenced his career as an industrial officer with the United Services Union before progressing to senior positions in the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists, Managers Australia and the Local Government Engineers Association. Mr Brock has direct experience representing union members in disputes before the Commission and advancing award and enterprise agreement negotiations on behalf of employees. He also has extensive Board and executive level experience and has occupied Board Positions at Vision Super and Local Government Super and has previously been a long-serving executive member of Unions NSW and Hunter Workers. He is a long-standing Newcastle resident and brings to the Commission extensive knowledge of industrial relations in the Hunter region.
Mr Arndt was admitted as a solicitor in NSW in 2010. Mr Arndt brings more than 16 years of legal experience in industrial relations to the role, with a particular focus on representing employer and industry interests. Mr Arndt started his career as Associate to the Hon. Justice Cowdroy of the Federal Court of Australia. He then went on to practise at Clayton Utz, before spending more than 12 years at Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors, where he was a Director specialising in employment and industrial law. Mr Arndt has a strong record in the Commission as solicitor advocate on many matters, particularly relating to contract of carriage disputes and related Chapter 6 claims. He is a co-author of the leading textbook in the area, Owner-Driver Law in Australia, published by Thomson Reuters. In 2025 he was a member of the subcommittee of the Fair Work Commission’s Road Transport Advisory Group.
Mr Webb was admitted as a solicitor in NSW in 2014 and brings 12 years of legal experience to the role. For the past nine years, he has served as Chief Legal Officer of the Transport Workers’ Union of NSW (TWU), leading the TWU’s strategic legal operations and compliance frameworks. He has regularly appeared before the Commission on behalf of members, with a recognised specialisation in complex Contract Determinations and Contract Agreements under Chapter 6 of the Industrial Relations Act 1996. Mr Webb has also frequently appeared as an advocate and instructed counsel to represent members on a broad range of industrial matters including enterprise bargaining, industrial disputes and unfair dismissals in the Fair Work Commission and Federal Court.
Deputy President McDonald was formally sworn in by the President in chambers on Wednesday, 1 July 2026.
Ms Rizzo will be formally sworn in by the President in chambers on Monday, 27 July 2026. Mr Brock will be formally sworn in by the President in chambers on Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Mr Arndt will be formally sworn in and ceremonially welcomed on Monday, 10 August 2026 at 9am in Court 4.1, 47 Bridge Street, Sydney.
Ceremonial welcomes will be held for:
The details of Mr Webb’s swearing in and ceremonial welcome are to be confirmed.
President of the Industrial Relations Commission, the Hon. Justice Taylor, welcomed the appointments, stating: “These appointments add significantly to the Commission’s breadth of industrial relations expertise. I am delighted with Deputy President McDonald’s elevation. She has the experience and ability to lead the Commission’s new workplace conduct jurisdiction. I warmly welcome the appointment of four new Commissioners each with outstanding credentials whose varied skills and backgrounds will greatly enhance the Commission’s ability to resolve industrial disputes.”
Click here to read the Minister’s official media release.
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