John Price has been appointed Australia’s General Insurance Ombudsman, stepping into the position at the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) vacated by Sam Parrino in April.

Mr Price, a Melbourne lawyer, is currently general insurance referee at FOS and has also served as an adjudicator and panel chair with FOS and its predecessors over the past five years.

He says he plans to be a “managing ombudsman”, participating in decision-making across the board as well as performing managerial roles.

“I want to consult widely with both consumer and industry groups,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“We have new terms of reference and guidelines coming out, and it is important that I embrace both groups so that we all work together to ensure the guidelines work effectively and efficiently and – as they are a living document – that they are amended or tweaked to ensure our efficiency and effectiveness.”

Chief Ombudsman Colin Neave has been in a caretaker role as General Insurance Ombudsman since Mr Parrino’s departure.