Fed: Govt appoints new board members for ABC and SBS

AAP General News (Australia)
04-01-2009
Fed: Govt appoints new board members for ABC and SBS

CANBERRA, April 1 AAP - The Rudd government has made its first appointments to the
boards of the ABC and SBS, declaring its new selection process removes political interference
in the two public broadcasters.

Former Sydney Opera House boss Michael Lynch and Dr Julianne Schultz, author and former
ABC executive, have been appointed to the ABC board.

Elleni Bereded-Samuel, a former Ethiopian television journalist and presenter, and
Joseph Skrzynski, a former chairman of the Sydney Opera House Trust, will join the SBS
board.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said the merit-based appointments removed government
political interference in both boards.

"For the first time, applications for positions on each board were open to all Australians,"

he said in a statement.

More than 300 expressions of interest were received for the board vacancies.

An independent nomination panel assessed applications, interviewed selected candidates
and provided a short list to Senator Conroy.

The government intends to introduce legislation to parliament later in the year to
entrench the overhauled appointment process.

AAP srj/rl/ldj/mn

KEYWORD: ABC BOARD UPDATE

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