Linfox Executive Chairman looks to add expertise on developing infrastructure and Asia-Pacific policies
By Rob McKay | December 6, 2013
Linfox Executive Chairman Peter Fox is “privileged and chuffed” to have been brought onto Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s Business Advisory Council (BAC).
Fox is also honoured to take his place amongst a line-up of business talent he describes as “formidable”.
“Hopefully we can make things happen to help the country,” he says, adding that he will approach the BAC’s tasks “with an open mind.”
But it is in identifying the right infrastructure projects and freeing up private sector funds for them that can be expect to direct his energies on the council’s behalf.
Along with the challenges of developing the nation’s infrastructure, Fox will be looking to help bolster the country’s position in the Asia-Pacific region.
Abbott acknowledged this expertise in an address to the Business Council of Australia on Monday noting that Fox “runs fleets of heavy trucks here and in much of Asia”.
The BAC is expected to meet three to four times a year and while there is some hope that its first meeting will occur before the end of the year, time is short.
Fox sees the new Prime Minister’s first few months as being preoccupied with other issues, notably the relationship with Indonesia and gauging the state of the nation’s finances.
He believes that, like any new CEO and CFO, Abbott’s and Treasurer Joe Hockey’s early focus on “checking the balance sheet” has been appropriate.
