Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Media and entertainment veteran Kim Williams is to be appointed the next chairperson of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Australian federal prime minister Anthony Albanese’s office announced on Wednesday.
Williams takes over from the departing Ita Buttrose and will have a five-year mandate. He joins at a moment when the ABC is enduring a moment of editorial turbulence.
The public broadcaster has recently been criticized for its coverage of the war in Palestine. On Monday, union members passed a vote of no confidence in the ABC’s MD David Anderson “for failing to defend the integrity of the ABC and its staff from outside attacks.” The ABC’s Buttrose-headed board hit back on Tuesday with a unanimous vote of confidence in Anderson. “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.” the government said.
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