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New Faces on the National Library of Australia Council

James J. SpigelmanThe Hon James J. Spigelman AC, Chair of the National Library of Australia Council

Dr Nonja PetersDr Nonja Peters
Council Member

Ms Jane HemstitchMs Jane Hemstitch
Council Member

Three new appointments have been made to the National Library of Australia Council. On 29 June 2010, the Governor-General, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, appointed a new Chair of the Council, the Hon Chief Justice James J. Spigelman AC, for a three year term. The third term of the former Chair, Sir James Gobbo AC CVO, expired on 26 June 2010 and brought to a close his nine years in the role. Also appointed to Council were Dr Nonja Peters and Ms Jane Hemstritch. The Council now has its full complement of 12 members

Chief Justice Spigelman has a long involvement with national cultural organisations alongside his distinguished career and achievements in the law. The Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts, the Hon Peter Garrett AM MP, noted that the Chief Justice has a ‘strong interest in Australian arts and culture. He has served as Chairman of the Film Finance Corporation, as a member of the Council of the National Gallery of Australia and as a Councillor of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School’. Chief Justice Spigelman will attend his first meeting of Council at the Library on 6 August 2010.

Dr Nonja Peters is a widely respected academic, author and curator, with a particular interest in migration heritage. She is currently the Director of Migration Ethnicity, Refugees and Citizenship Research Unit, at the Curtin University of Technology. Dr Peters is at the forefront of research and interpretation of migration and culture adaption related collections. She brings relevant experience to the Council as a member of the Western Australian Branch of the National Archives of Australia Advisory Committee and is also the Vice-Chair of the Western Australian Maritime Museum Advisory Committee. Dr Peters was the Chair of the Australia on the Map 1606–2006 National Steering Committee, which was established to organise the commemoration activities marking the 400th anniversary of the early Dutch explorers of Western Australia. She is eagerly anticipating the 400th anniversary of Dirk Hartog’s exploration of Australia in 2016. Dr Peters was appointed by the Governor-General for a three-year term on 20 May 2010 and attended her first Council meeting in June 2010.

Ms Jane Hemstritch has a strong business background across the oil and gas, telecommunications, government, financial services and manufacturing sectors, and will bring to the Council extensive experience as a company director. Ms Hemstritch is a Non-Executive Director of Santos Ltd, Tabcorp Holdings Ltd, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and The Global Foundation, where she is also the Deputy Chair. Ms Hemstritch has a close connection with the information industry from her term as a Non-Executive Director of the Australian Information Industries Association between 2003 and 2005.

The Library Council oversees the operations of the Library and meets six times each year. A full list of members of the Council is available through our website.

Alex Philp
Secretary, Council and CMG