At the time of its establishment , retired Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston — former head of Australia 's military ( 2005-2011 ) — was appointed to head the JACC by Prime Minister Abbott . After the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 , in July 2014 , Houston left the agency when he was appointed as Australia 's special envoy in Ukraine to recover and repatriate bodies of Australian victims , assist relatives of Australian victims , and ensure that a proper investigation of the crash was initiated in accordance with international standards . In January 2015 , Houston was appointed a Knight of the Order of Australia for his military service and for his " continued commitment to serve the nation in leadership roles , particularly the national responses to the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disasters . " As of March 2015 , Judith Zielke is the Chief Coordinator of the JACC . Zielke is also the Executive Director of the JACC 's parent division , the Surface Transport Policy division , within the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
Joint Agency Coordination Centre