The ACT Government has appointed a high-ranking public servant as successor to Maxine Cooper as the territory's commissioner for the environment, but only for six months.
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The short-term appointment of Robert Neil is a result of the Government sitting on a review into the Commissioner for the Environment Act, which was put forward by Dr Cooper in 2009.
ACT Greens Climate Change spokesman Shane Rattenbury criticised the Government's delay in reviewing the legislation, and said the short-term arrangement was problematic.
''It's a major disappointment that the Government has not acted in a timely manner,'' he said.
''We now have an interim arrangement for such an important position in the ACT.''
Dr Cooper, who was appointed ACT Auditor-General last month, presented the Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development Simon Corbell with various reports on the proposed expanded role of the Office of the Commissioner for Environment in September 2009.
The reports propose changes to the operation and structure of the Commissioner for the Environment Act but have never been publicly released.
A spokesperson for Mr Corbell said the Government wanted to review the Act before making any long-term appointments for the commissioner's role.
Mr Neil has worked as director of Environment Protection and Water Resources and represented the Government at national forums as the ACT's Environment Protection Authority.
Mr Corbell said the new commissioner had an ''extensive knowledge and experience in the area of environmental protection'', particularly in areas such as water policy and water resources.
But Mr Rattenbury said Mr Neil had been put in a difficult situation.
''The state-of-environment report is due next year and we have a situation where a staff member who has been involved in the roll out of that policy, and who might have to implement it again in the future, has been asked to make this independent assessment of the Government.''
Mr Neil is expected to return to his previous job when his role as commissioner expires in February next year.