The Australian Mathematics Competition for the Westpac Awards is administered by the Australian Mathematics Foundation (AMF) Department.

This Department dates back to 11 April 1976, when a committee to run a mathematics competition in Canberra was formed at a meeting at the home of Peter O'Halloran. In 1978 the committee became the management committee of the Australian Mathematics Competition and was later incorporated as Australian Mathematics Foundation Limited. In 1992 it combined with the Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee to become a sub-Trust of the new Australian Mathematics Trust. Under a later re-structure the sub-Trusts of the Trust became Departments.

The AMF Committee historically comprised staff of the University of Canberra, but through its network of national and state directors, members of the problems committee and moderators it draws on a wide national and in fact international volunteer force.

The main activity of the AMF is the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC).

Members of the AMF Committee are:

• Mr Warren Atkins*, Chair
• Ms Sally Bakker*, Deputy Chair
• Professor Peter Taylor*, Executive Director
• Mr Bob Thompson*, Treasurer
• Mr Bill Akhurst*, New South Wales Director
• Mr Bruce Henry*, Victoria Director
• Mr Russell Coad, Western Australia Director
• Mr Gus Gale ONZM, New Zealand Director
• Mr Phil Gray, Member Primary AMC Problems Committee
• Ms Holly Gyton, Member Secondary AMC Problems Committee
• Mr Graham Meikeljohn, Queensland Director
• Ms Anna Nakos, South Australia Director
• Professor Graham Pollard, University of Canberra
• Mr Howard Reeves, Tasmania Director
• Ms Shelley Worthington, Northern Territory Director

* denotes member of Executive

The AMC has always had an independent Problems Committee since the inception of this event in 1978. This committee normally comprises 15 academics and high school teachers. Most of the members are permanent but there is some rotation, with a New Zealand permanent member and another member invited from overseas each year and a state moderator in rotation.

To ensure the integrity of the AMC, both mathematically and typographically, there has always been a three-tiered moderation system. The first tier is the group of state moderators which is also able to advise on the suitability of questions for their state. The second group traditionally comprises mathematicians from various Universities, mostly based in Canberra, while the third group is traditionally from the University of Canberra, although the members of later moderator groups are increasingly from outside Canberra.

Each year the Problems Committee sets the paper for the following year. So there is a lead time of 18 months before the date of the competition when the procedures for setting that paper commence. In fact there is also a period of several months when drafts of papers for two forthcoming AMCs exist.

The permanent members of the Committee are:

• Chair: Mr Warren Atkins
• Deputy Chair: Professor Peter Taylor
• Ms Jane Breidahl, Nautilus Education, VIC
• Dr Bob Bryce, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT
• Mr John Carty, Merici College, ACT
• Mr Mike Clapper, Gippsland Grammar School, NSW
• Ms Holly Gyton, SCEGGS Darlighurst, NSW
• Ms Anne Hastings, Kambala School, NSW
• Professor Derek Holton, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ
• Dr Andrew Kepert, University of Newcastle Central Coast Campus, NSW
• Mr Alan Parris, Linwood College, Christchurch, NZ
• Dr Andrei Storozhev, Australian Mathematics Trust
• Dr Martin Ward, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT

The committee in May 2005 from left Andrei Storozhev (AMT), Warren Atkins (Newcastle), Brendan Case (Cabra College, South Australian Moderator), Mike Clapper (Gippsland Grammar), Chris Harman (USQ), Martin Ward (ANU), Bob Bryce (ANU), Jane Breidahl (Nautilus Education), Alan Parris (Christchurch NZ), Anne Hastings (Kambala), Patrick Curtis (Kambala, NSW Moderator), Barry Ferguson (University of Waterloo, Canada), Holly Gyton (SCEGGS Redlands).

This Committee commenced work in 2003 and the 2004 papers were the first for Years 3 and 4 (Middle Primary) and Years 5 and 6, and 7 for States in which Year 7 is Primary (Upper Primary).

As with the secondary version this paper is moderated by tens of moderators in three stages, with expert primary teachers from each state solving the problems independently and advising on syllabus and mathematical issues.

• Chair: Mr Warren Atkins
• Ms Jan Cavanagh, Consultant, QLD
• Ms Anne Briner, University of Melbourne, VIC
• Mr Brett Darcy, Belair Public School, SA
• Ms Karen Dielh, South Wallsend Primary School, NSW
• Mr Mike Clapper, Gippsland Grammar School, VIC
• Mr Jim Green, Trinity Catholic College, Lismore, NSW
• Mr Phil Gray, Ngunnawal Primary School, ACT
• Ms Jillian Neale, Lake Gwerup Primary Schol, WA
• Dr Jacqui Ramagge, University of Wollongong, NSW
• Mr Gregory Taylor, Gold Creek School, ACT
• Professor Peter Taylor
• Mr Anthony Telford, St Francis Xavier School, ACT

The AMC is also administered by a team of state and national directors who deal with issues specific to their regions.

Click here for a full list of current Australian and National Directors, with contact details.