In accordance with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983, the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Mr Michael Thawley AO, has reappointed the following members of the Nomination Panel for appointments to the boards of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS):

• Mr Ric Smith AO PSM has been reappointed as Chair of the Nomination Panel until 31 December 2015. Mr Smith was appointed as Australia’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2009. He is a former Ambassador to China and to Indonesia and a former Secretary of the Department of Defence. Mr Smith was named as an Officer in the Order of Australia in 1998, and was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2003. Mr Smith has been Chair of the Panel since 2008.
• Mr David Gonski AC has been reappointed as a member of the Nomination Panel until 31 December 2015. Mr Gonski has been Chancellor of the University of New South Wales since 2005 and is chairman and director of a number of major companies and organisations including the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group. He was Chairman of the Australia Council from 2002 to 2006. Mr Gonski was appointed as a Companion in the Order of Australia in 2007. Mr Gonski has been a member of the Nomination Panel since 2008.

The Nomination Panel was established to:

• conduct a selection process for non-executive Members and Chairpersons to the ABC and SBS boards, based on the principle of merit and having regard to the selection criteria provided by the Minister for Communications (the Minister); and
• provide the Minister (and in the case of the Chair of the ABC, the Prime Minister) with a written shortlist of at least three recommended candidates for each vacancy with a comparative assessment of the recommended candidates.

The Panel carries out its functions assisted by a secretariat within the Department of Communications and, as required, a recruitment firm. The composition of the Nomination Panel is as follows: