Yes, it's just plain wrong, and it's completely inconsistent with past practice.
Typically, the chair, as I said.... I mean, it's true that the chair, from a purely pedantic standpoint, is a deputy head of the organization. Deputy heads of organizations are supposed to have “regular” interaction with the ministers who are responsible for their portfolios. The PM's directive on openness and accountability, on open and accountable government, says that very thing. It's completely within common practice for ministers and heads of administrative tribunals to have discussions about issues of overlapping concern—