The Howard Government's record of political appointments

The propensity to make controversial appointments to positions of authority in public agencies was one of the more contentious habits of the Howard government, writes Rebecca Harrison.

Today’s Australian notes that one of the last acts of the Howard government was to reappoint former Howard speechwriter and “culture wars” warrior Christopher Pearson to the SBS board.

The propensity to make controversial appointments to positions of authority in public agencies was one of the more contentious habits of the Howard government. The controversy derived from the direct or perceived association of the appointees with the Government, the Liberal party, conservative beliefs and philosophy.

The Howard government wasn’t exactly shy about pushing its agenda on national cultural institutions. Remember the contretemps over the politicisation of the National Museum of Australia by the appointment of friendly-to-the-Howard-view board members (including Christopher Pearson) and the “whitewashing” of Australian history advocated by the National Review of Exhibitions and Public Programs (the Carroll Review)? Not to mention the series of conservative and party-connected appointments to the boards of the ABC and SBS and to the Office of Film and Literature Classification.

Likewise its political agenda. An overwhelming number of Howard Government appointees to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission have employer backgrounds.

There have also been some interesting appointments to the Federal Magistrates’ Court, where industrial matters post-WorkChoices are heard. (Or should that be were? Whether the FMC retains its jurisdiction remains to be seen after the promised rollback of Workchoices under the Rudd government). Probably the most controversial appointment was John O’Sullivan to one of these magistracies for life after only a few years’ post-admission practice as a lawyer. His job immediately preceding this stellar and unprecendented promotion? Adviser to then-Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews.

The problem with obvious or tainted-by-association political appointments is not necessarily the capacity of appointees to fulfil their offices. It’s their close association with the Government or the party that besmirches the independence of the office or authority, compromising the organisation’s ability to perform it’s stated functions and reducing public confidence in our political and cultural institutions.

After all, independence from Government is the reason a statutory authority or review panel or similar is established. There are obvious questions raised about the inclination of political appointees to perform tasks essential to the democratic process such as assessing, reporting on and being critical (where appropriate) of government policy and activity when they received their commission as a matter of political patronage.

It’s timely to reflect on political appointments now, as the Prime Minister-elect Rudd has indicated that his government will establish a significant number of new agencies, statutory bodies and reviews for which appointees will be needed.

Here’s a (non-exhaustive) list of Howard government appointments smacking of the political made during their term of office. If we have forgotten anyone, email boss@crikey.com.au.

Name	Public agency and position	Comment
Donald McDonald	ABC – Chair	Long-time friend of Howard family.
Michael Kroger	ABC – former director	Former president of the Victorian Liberal Party. Liberal powerbroker.
Judith Sloan	ABC – former director Productivity Commission – Commissioner Fair Pay Commission – Commissioner	Right-wing labour market economist. Academic Advisory Council of the CIS. Associated with the H.R.Nicholls Society. Columnist for The Australian.
Ross McLean	ABC – former director	Former Liberal member for Perth (1973 – 1983).
Leith Boully	ABC – former director Land and Water Australia – former director Community Advisory Committee of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council – member Australian Heritage Commission – former member	Close ties with the Coalition and former member of the Northern Territory Young Country Liberal Party.
Maurice Newman	ABC – former director Financial Sector Advisory Council – chair Business Advisory Panel (Immigration) – member	Friend and confidant of Howard. One of the founders of the Centre for Independent Studies.
Janet Albrechtsen	ABC – director	Right-wing columnist for The Australian. Associated with the IPA and CIS. Critic of the ABC.
Ron Brunton	ABC – director	Former right-wing columnist for Murdoch newspapers (including the Courier Mail). Former Director of Indigenous Issues at the IPA. Harsh critic of ‘secret women’s business’ in the Hindmarsh Island affair, greenhouse sceptic and critic of stolen generations report, Bringing Them Home.
Steven Skala	ABC – director	Former director of CIS.
John Gallagher	ABC – director	Conservative Queensland barrister.
Keith Windschuttle	ABC – director	Conservative historian. Critic of National Museum and ABC. Key player in the disputes about the National Museum and the departure of former National Museum Director, Dawn Casey.
Peter Hurley	ABC – director	Donor to Liberal Party and Liberal Party front groups, including the Free Enterprise Foundation.
Jonathan Shier	ABC – former executive director	Conservative appointee who had ‘specific mandate to attack the culture at the ABC’ (Daley 2006). Left after 20 months.
Mark Scott	ABC – executive director	Former staffer of NSW Liberal Minister, Terry Metherell
Peter King	Australian Heritage Commission – former Chair	Former Liberal member for the federal seat of Wentworth. Campaigned for the Liberals while still chair of the Commission.
Tom Harley	Australian Heritage Commission – former chair Australian Heritage Council – chair Council for Australian-Arab Relations – member	Chair of Liberal Party think tank, the Menzies Research Centre. Close ties with the Coalition and Howard.
Michael Kennedy	Australian Heritage Council – former member	Head of Humane Society International. Has close ties with the Howard Government. Lobbied in favour of a number of the Howard Government’s environment measures.
Jonathan Mills	Australian Heritage Council – former coopted member Australian International Cultural Council – member	Strong links with the Coalition. Friend of Tom Harley and now director of the Deakin Lectures, which Harley used to run.
Imre Salusinszky	AustraliaCouncil – chair of Literary Board	Right-wing columnist for The Australian.
Tim Fischer	Tourism Australia – chair	Former head of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister (1996 – 1999).
Tony Clark	Tourism Australia – board member Telstra – director	Friend of Howard and Liberal Party donor.
Scott Morrison	Tourism Australia – managing director	Former state director of the NSW Liberal Party.
Jonathan Hamberger	Office of the Employment Advocate – former deputy and head Australian Industrial Relations Commission – Senior Deputy President	Former staffer of Peter Reith. Public critic of Labor Party policies while he was the Employment Advocate.
Peter Richards	Australian Industrial Relations Commission – Senior Deputy President	Peter Reith’s former chief of staff.
Ian Harper	Fair Pay Commission – chair	Academic Advisory Council of the CIS. Author of several CIS publications.
Michael O’Hagan	Fair Pay Commission – commissioner	AWA Ambassador. Has appeared in several Government and Murdoch publications supporting AWAs and greater flexibility in the labour market.
Patrick McClure	Fair Pay Commission	Former head of Mission Australia. Mission Australia received millions from Federal Government while McClure was the head.
Christopher Pearson	NationalMuseum– board member SBS – board member	Right-wing columnist for The Australian. Former Howard speechwriter and speechwriter for Downer.
Tony Staley	NationalMuseum– chair	Former Liberal Party president and Fraser Government minister.
David Barnett	National Museum– board member	Right-wing writer, Howard biographer and former press secretary of Malcolm Fraser.
John Hirst	NationalMuseum– board member	Conservative historian and critic of many things he regards as ‘left-liberal’, including multiculturalism.
John Fleming	NationalMuseum– board member Gene Technology Ethics Committee – member	Religious broadcaster, radio host and commentator.
Pru Goward	Office of the Status of Women – former executive director	Howard biographer. Standing for pre-selection for Liberals in NSW seat of Epping.
Bruce Lloyd	Australian Landcare Council – former chair Natural Heritage Trust Advisory Committee – member	Former Deputy of the National Party.
Robert Gerard	Reserve Bank Board – former member	Member of, and donor to, Liberal Party.
Paul O’Sullivan	ASIO – head	Former Howard staffer.
John Herron	Australian National Council on Drugs – head	Former Howard Government Minister and Liberal Senator for Queensland.
Major Brian Watters (Salvation Army)	Australian National Council on Drugs – former head	Outspoken prohibition supporter. The Salvation Army has received millions from the Federal Government.
Robin Batterham	Former chief scientist	Supporter of clean coal and was employed by Rio Tinto while acting as Chief Scientist.
Bob Cronin	SBS – board member	Member of the Liberal Party and former editor in chief of The West Australian.
Carla Zampatti	SBS – board member	Wife of John Spender, former Liberal MP.
Alistair Graham	Biological Diversity Advisory Committee – member (?)	Works for conservative environment groups like WWF and Tasmanian Conservation Trust. Close links with the Howard Government. Lobbied in favour of a number of Howard Government environment measures.
Jillian Broadbent	Reserve Bank of Australia – board member SBS – board member	Known to have close links with the Coalition.
Robert Champion de Crespigny	National Gallery – board member	Director of CIS.
Roslyn Packer	National Gallery – board member	Widow of Kerry Packer.
Charles Curran	National Gallery – board member Financial Sector Advisory Council – member	Liberal Party donor.
Roslynne Bracher	National Gallery – board member	Her family’s business, Paspaley Pearls, is a major donor to the Liberal Party.
Michael Cooke	Migration Review Tribunal – member	Former staffer to Tony Abbott and Liberal pre-selection candidate for NSW seat of Manly.
David Flint	Australian Broadcasting Authority – former chair	Conservative commentator and lawyer and active member of Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy.
Max Moore-Wilton	Taskforce on National Infrastructure	Former head of Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
John O’Sullivan	Federal Magistrates’ Court – Magistrate	Former adviser to Kevin Andrews when he was Minister for Workplace Relations.