Kim Williams named new ABC Chair
Former Foxtel and News Ltd CEO to succeed Ita Buttrose as Chair of the ABC from March.
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Breaking News:
Kim Williams will be the new chair of the ABC, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced.
He will succeed Ita Buttrose who has served two terms at the public broadcaster and will step down in March.
Williams’ previous roles include Foxtel CEO, chairman of the Sydney Opera House Trust, CEO of News Limited and a commissioner of the AFL.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “The ABC plays an essential role in Australia – it’s a pillar of our democracy, a lifeline in disaster, a voice for the regions and part of our cultural identity.
“It’s vital our national broadcaster has a safe and experienced pair of hands at the helm – and that’s what Kim will provide.
“Kim is eminently qualified to provide ongoing stability and leadership to this deeply valued Australian institution.”
Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland said, “Over the course of his impressive career, Mr Williams has held several significant roles at high-profile media and arts organisations, and he is a natural fit for the ABC.
“He’s shown a commitment to independence, to innovation and to best practice governance.
“We are confident Mr Williams will bring strong leadership and focus to the ABC Board, which is why he is being recommended to the Governor-General for this important role.
“The Government thanks Ms Ita Buttrose her for leadership of the ABC Board over the last five years. She was the right Chair for the right time, and we wish her well for the future”.
Kim Williams (AM) has had a long involvement in the arts, entertainment and media industries here and overseas and has held various executive leadership positions since the late 1970s including as Chief Executive at each of News Corp Australia, Foxtel, Fox Studios Australia, the Australian Film Commission, Southern Star Entertainment and Music Viva Australia and also as a senior executive at the ABC.
Kim was the Chief Executive of Foxtel for the decade up until November 2011. At Foxtel he pioneered many of the major digital broadcast innovations in Australia and received the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Australian subscription television association ASTRA for his diverse contributions.
Kim has also held numerous Board positions (and Chairmanships) in commercial and public life over more than three decades including as Chairmen of the Australian Film Finance Corporation (which he founded in 1988); Chairman of MCN—the subscription television industry’s major advertising sales company; Chairman of each of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra; Musica Viva Australia; and most recently the Sydney Opera House Trust from 2005 until 2013.
He was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in June 2006 for his services to the arts and public policy formulation in the film and television industries. In October 2009 he was awarded a Doctorate of Letters (Honoris Causa) by Macquarie University for his contribution to the arts and entertainment industry in Australia and internationally. He is a previous recipient of the Richard Pratt Business Arts Leadership Award from the Australian Business Arts Foundation and the Australian Writers Guild’s Dorothy Crawford Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession. His first book Rules of Engagement was published by Melbourne University Press in 2014.
Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland statement:
The Albanese Government will recommend to the Governor-General, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), that Mr Kimberley (Kim) Williams AM be appointed the next Chairperson of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Board.
Mr Williams has extensive experience across the screen, music, sports and media industries, and has made eminent and substantial contributions to the cultural life of the nation.
He is currently Chair of Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company, Co-Chair of the State Library of NSW Foundation Board and Director of Stradivarius Pty Ltd.
Mr Williams has held a number of Chief Executive positions across the creative industries, including the Australian Film Commission, Southern Star Entertainment, Fox Studios Australia, Foxtel, and NewsCorp Australia – and he is a recognised producer, innovator and executive leader.
His previous non-executive positions have included Chair of the Copyright Agency, the Sydney Opera House Trust, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Film Finance Corporation, Musica Viva Australia, the Richard Gill School, Deputy Chair of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, and an AFL Commissioner.
In 2006, Mr Williams was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to the arts, film, and television industries.
Mr Williams was nominated for appointment by the independent Nomination Panel as part of the merit-based appointment process for the ABC and SBS Boards, and the Leader of the Opposition was consulted on the appointment in accordance with the legislated process.
The Chairperson position is part-time for five years, with remuneration set by the Remuneration Tribunal.
The Government acknowledges outgoing Chairperson Ms Ita Buttrose AC, OBE for her strong and steady leadership of the national broadcaster throughout her five-year term, and wishes her well for her future endeavours.
ABC:
The ABC welcomes this appointment. Mr Williams is a respected and experienced leader with deep connections across the media, arts, sport, political and business sectors.
Mr Williams’ appointment signals the continuation of stability and good governance at the ABC Board under the leadership of Ms Buttrose over the past five years.
MEAA Statement:
The incoming chair of the ABC, Kim Williams, must immediately move to restore the reputation of the national broadcaster by addressing concerns about the impact of external pressures on editorial decision making.
The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, the union representing journalists at the ABC, calls on the new chair to work with unions to support staff who are under attack, reaffirm the commitment to cultural diversity in the workplace, and uphold the standards of reporting without fear or favour that the public expects of the ABC.
The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, the union representing journalists at the ABC, calls on the new chair to work with unions to support staff who are under attack, reaffirm the commitment to cultural diversity in the workplace, and uphold the standards of reporting without fear or favour that the public expects of the ABC.
The Acting Chief Executive of MEAA, Adam Portelli, said the new chair would take office at a critical time for the ABC’s future following a staff vote of no confidence in managing director David Anderson earlier this week.
“On Monday, union members overwhelmingly said they had lost confidence in David Anderson because of his failure to address very real concerns about the way the ABC deals with external pressure and supports journalists from First Nations and culturally diverse backgrounds when they are under attack,” he said.
“Public trust in the ABC as an organisation that will always pursue frank and fearless journalism has been damaged, and management under Mr Anderson has not demonstrated it is taking these concerns seriously.
“Following yesterday’s board meeting, the current chair, Ita Buttrose, revealed she is completely out of touch with the concerns felt in newsrooms across Australia.
“Dozens of staff have told us their first hand experiences of feeling unsupported by management when under external attack and the negative impact this is having on their ability to do their jobs and on the reputation and integrity of the ABC. But Ms Buttrose failed to acknowledge these concerns.
“ABC journalists have put forward five very reasonable suggestions to restore the confidence of staff in the managing director but at this stage, Mr Anderson has not committed to an urgent meeting as they requested.
“We are optimistic that the incoming chair, Kim Williams, will bring a more collaborative approach to dealing with issues of cultural safety and editorial integrity than has been witnessed under Ms Buttrose.
“He must understand that nothing less than the reputation of the ABC is at stake here.”
This post updates.
16 Responses
The idea that Australia has ever had good journalism is myth. We’ve never had an All The President’s Men moment. Our newsrooms pander to the powerful by omission and always have.
And Jesus wept for the idealistic Australian journalism graduate turning up on the job expecting to talk truth to power and investigate the corrupt.
In terms of consumption, the ship has sailed and the sun is setting. The under 40s will never consume this biased, low-information dreck like the oldies do. So let them fight over which non-news service is too left or too right, it will all be over soon.
Kim Williams had studied and lived in Italy. I’ve been advocating with ABC and subsequent communications departments over the last couple of years or so for a return to formal Open Learning programming, or an university channel or multichannel in the style of RAI Scuola, or other university channels overseas. I hope this appointment can lead to this progression.
Surely Kim Williams would be knowledgeable in this field, and can bring experience and knowledge from Europe to Australian broadcasting. This appointment renews my advocacy in this field of education at this time, and for better broadcasting based on knowledge and understanding gained from foreign broadcasting.
P.S. This is something that SBS is also capable of as well.
does he have the power to decide if the news channel should start broadcasting in high definition? dear Mr Williams , please let the news channel broadcast in HD most people have set top boxes and HD tv’s by now. and HD broadcast would be awesome for the news channel
Possibly a stupid question, but does the Chair actually do anything? Only reason I ask is because whenever the ABC has been in the news or there’s been controversy around either one of it’s staff or shows, it’s usually the Managing Director in the firing line / who’s scalp everyone wants (in this case David Anderson). I can recall countless times where his name has been in the media as the one accountable etc, but can’t really recall any times where Ita’s position was questioned and people have called for her resignation.
Interesting appointment, and will keep my powder dry until I see what happens.
Yes he worked at Rupert for 20 years. But also he was a contentious objector during the Vietnam war and is married to Gough Whitlam’s daughter. Also was previously married to Kathy Lette (twice!).
So, some politically right and left background.
Is this comment meant to be informative..or just factual gossip…besides what has being a “conscientious” objector got to do with his appointment…there where plenty of conscientious objectors during the Vietnam war..and there is no shame in that…coming from a military family and being in the military myself….I wish my brother did because he got killed in a war that failed.
Will anybody stop the ABC bias?
Balance may be coming
Good appointment. He won’t be intimidated. Hopefully he can bring some confidence and personality back to the ABC.
Has the MEA picketed Ultimo yet.
So now Murdoch has a loyal lieutenant inside the tent. We all know how this is going to end.
Actually “loyal to Murdoch” is wrong about him. “Ex” yes, “unimpressed” yes, “moved on” yes. It was ten years ago. He knows a lot about what is wrong about Murdoch organisations, and those few things that are good, and all of this will be an asset to the ABC. I’m a “left” person (as commenters here like to describe us with ill-disguised contempt) but I have strong hopes for this appointment. And let’s face it, a major improvement on Ita!
Let’s hope he can get the ABC away from the political interference from either side. ABC lost lost voices over the past months because of their views, how can you get a balanced view without different discussions.
… ah so funny, looking at the comments on various media already, the perfect choice, the left think he’s right, the right think he’s left … classic …
The left will be in a fluster over this. Years of conspiracy theories about right wing influence will now await us no doubt