Appointed in 2019 by former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Ms. Buttrose, 82, had indicated that she would not seek reappointment.
Mr. Williams, nominated by an independent panel, received acclaim from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who described him as “a true renaissance man” proficient in both media and arts management, with a background as a former AFL commissioner showcasing his engagement in sports.
“Kim is someone who gets the ABC and he’s someone who understands instinctively what a national broadcaster can and should be,” Mr. Albanese said.
“The breadth of his experience is matched by its depth and his intellect, energy, and insatiable curiosity.”
Creative Industry Experience
Mr. Williams 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.
He has also held chief executive roles in various creative industries, including the Australian Film Commission, Southern Star Entertainment, Fox Studios Australia, and Foxtel.
He has chaired organisations such as the Copyright Agency, the Sydney Opera House Trust, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Film Finance Corporation, Musica Viva Australia, and the Richard Gill School.
Mr. Williams told ABC Radio Sydney the ABC chair’s role was “probably the hardest job in media in Australia.”
“This is certainly a role which is not without burden. They’re burdens that are wholly constructive and necessary in terms of our nation. The ABC is such an important institution”, he said.
Considers the ABC ‘Bland’
But he added that he thought much of the ABC’s content was “bland,” and lacked attention to the arts.
Speaking at the announcement of his appointment, he said the role of Chair was “guided by the charter and obviously has a responsibility to work with colleagues on the board of the ABC to give life and personality to that charter,” adding that the document was “often invoked but rarely read.”The appointment comes less than a day after Ms. Buttrose reiterated her support for ABC managing director David Anderson, who faced a union vote of no confidence over his sacking of presenter Antoinette Lattouf after she shared a social media post about the war in Gaza.
The ABC has denied that lobbying efforts from a group of pro-Israel lawyers had influenced its decision, but rather that she had disobeyed orders from management not to post about controversial issues while in the presenter position.
“It is abhorrent and incorrect that people would suggest that he has shown a lack of support for independent journalism and journalists,” Ms. Buttrose said in a statement.
“David Anderson has always been a strong supporter of the independence of the ABC and its journalists.”
