Fresh from her appointment to the Northern Australia Ministerial Advisory Council, Flinders shire mayor, Jane McNamara has been appointed to the national Australia Day Council.
It’s the coordinating body for Australia Day celebrations across the nation and for the Australian of the Year Awards, and heads a network of eight state and territory Australia Day affiliate organisations and 780 local Australia Day committees.
Cr McNamara replaces retiring chairman, Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG, as the Queensland representative on the council.
The new chairwoman is Danielle Roche OAM, a member of the gold medal-winning Hockeyroos team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and senior investment advisor with Ord Minnett.
Other council members include deputy chair, Robbie Sefton; Richard Rolfe, dealer principal of Audi Centre Canberra; Dr Susan Alberti AC, chair Susan Alberti Medical Research Foundation; Jason Glanville, founding director at Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity Program; Elizabeth Kelly, deputy secretary, governance, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet; Norman Schueler OAM, director, Normetals; and Janet Whiting AM, lawyer.
Cr McNamara attended her first council meeting in Canberra last week.