The Hon Rod Kemp was Minister for the Arts and Sport from Friday 23 November 2001 to Tuesday 30 January 2007. This site is available for archival purposes only.
New chair appointed to Australia Council’s Literature Board
The Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp, today announced the appointment of Dr Imre Salusinszky as Chair of the Australia Council’s Literature Board for a three-year term.
“I am delighted to welcome Dr Salusinszky as Chair of the Literature Board,” Senator Kemp said.
Dr Salusinszky has been a journalist with The Australian since 2003, and is currently the newspaper’s NSW political reporter and a regular columnist. He has previously held positions as Associate Professor in English and Head of Department at the University of Newcastle . He has also been a lecturer at Yale University in the United States of America, where he held a Fulbright award, and at the University of Melbourne.
Dr Salusinszky is the author of many reviews, articles and books. He was also editor of the Oxford Book of Australian Essays, published in 1997. In 2003, he was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to Australian society through the study of English and scholarship.
Dr Salusinszky previously served on a committee of the Australia Council’s Literature Board, between 1992 and 1994. He is currently on the editorial advisory committee of Quadrant, a leading journal dedicated to literature studies in Australia, and HEAT, a showcase for Australian contemporary writing.
“Dr Salusinszky is greatly respected in his field and I am confident that he will make an invaluable contribution both to the work of the Council and to the Literature Board,” Senator Kemp said.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the previous Chair of the Literature Board, Dr Peter Goldsworthy, for his outstanding contribution and leadership over the past four and a half years.”
The Literature Board aims to support the excellence, diversity, vitality and distinctiveness of Australian literature by providing direct financial support to outstanding literary creators, and grants to organisations which offer infrastructure support to the sector and income-generating opportunities to writers.
The Australia Council is the Australian Government’s principal arts funding body. It encourages the creativity and development of Australian artists and aims to increase access by all Australians to arts and cultural activities.
CANBERRA
16 June 2006
Media contact: Michael Christo 03 9650 7274 or 0409 040 276