Who we are
Council structure
The Australian Press Council has 22 members, comprising
- the independent Chair and eight “public members”, who have no affiliations with a media organisation;
- nine nominees of media organisations which are "constituent bodies" of the Council (see below under Constituent bodies);
- four independent journalist members, who are not employed by a media organisation.
A maximum of 15 members can attend any particular Council meeting, in accordance with an annual roster. The rostered members for each meeting comprise the independent Chair, six public members, five nominees of publishers, two independent journalists and the union nominee.
The independent Chair is chosen by the Council and has always been a judge or university professor. The public members and independent journalist members are appointed by the Council on the nomination of the Chair. The nominees of publishers are chosen by the media organisations which have agreed to support the Council and be subject to its complaints system. All members are expected to act and vote as individuals, not as representatives of any organisation or interest.
For further details, see the Press Council's Constitution.
Council membership
Chair of the Council
(biography)
- Prof Julian Disney AO
Public Members
(biographies)
- Colin Neave AM (Vice - Chair)
- Cheryl Attenborough
- John Fleetwood
- Prof Ron Grunstein
- Brenton Holmes
- Lisa Scaffidi
- Robyne Schwarz
- Melissa Seymour-Dearness
Industry Nominee Members
(biographies)
- Bob Cronin AM (Seven West Media)
- Phillip Dickson (Australian Associated Press)
- John Dunnet (Country Press Association)
- Peter Fray (Fairfax Media)
- Alan Kennedy (Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance)
- Bob Osburn (Community Newspapers Association)
- Peter Owen (APN News and Media)
- Campbell Reid (News Ltd)
- Pam Walkley (ACP Magazines)
Independent Journalist Members
(biographies)
- Warren Beeby
- Prue Innes
- Adrian McGregor
- Gerard Noonan
Staff
(biographies)
The Council secretariat is based in Sydney and is headed by an Executive Secretary appointed by the Council. The current staff members are
- Jack R Herman (Executive Secretary)
- Derek Wilding (Director of Standards)
- Glenda Kelly (Administration Officer)
Previous Chairs
- Sir Frank Kitto AC, KBE, PC (1976-82)
- Prof Geoffrey Sawer AO (1982-84)
- Hon Hal Wootten AC (1984-86)
- Prof David Flint AM (1987-97)
- Prof Dennis Pearce AO (1997-2000)
- Prof Ken McKinnon AO (2000-09)
Constituent bodies
The "constituent bodies" of the Council are publishers and other organisations in the media industry which have agreed to provide funding for the Council, to cooperate with the Council's consideration of complaints against them and to publish any resultant adjudications. They also select the industry nominees on the Council.
All the major publishers of newspapers and magazines as well as the principal union for employees in the media industry are constituent bodies of the Council. Collectively they are responsible for about 98% of all print media sales in Australia. For further details, see Constituent Bodies and their Publications.
