ABAC appoints The Hon Tony Smith as Independent Chair

Harry Jenkins AO, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has retired as ABAC Independent Chair after a 5-year tenure and has been succeeded by The Hon Tony Smith, former Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Jayne Taylor, ABAC CEO, thanked Jenkins for his leadership and advice in helping the organisation, especially through COVID-19 and a rapidly changing media and industry landscape.

Jenkins said he has been pleased to have been part of ABAC for five years and was impressed by the ABAC System and the Scheme, which responded to a variety of challenges and helped reduce risky alcohol consumption by adults and minors.

“Minimising exposure of minors to alcohol advertising and ensuring the content of this advertising does not appeal to them is and will continue to be the most important objective of the code. I would like to thank those who are regulated by the system for their ongoing co-operation with the complaints system and their proactive efforts to comply with the code standards, demonstrated by a strong use of the pre-vetting service,” Jenkins said.

Smith will bring experience to the role, having served in federal parliament for over 20 years, including as the speaker for over 6 years and serving on numerous parliamentary committees, many as the chair.

“I’m looking forward to joining an organisation that is effective, responsive and has proven itself to align with community standards. ABAC has shown it is proactive and dynamic in the way it has kept pace with the ever-emerging issues, demonstrating its willingness to be ahead of the curve. It is important that the code remain global best practice, responding to changes in the environment in which it operates,” Smith said.

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