FED: White man gets top black job

AAP General News (Australia)
04-29-1999
FED: White man gets top black job

CANBERRA, April 29 AAP - Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Herron has abandoned his quest to
make a black person Australia's top indigenous bureaucrat.

Federal public servant Mark Sullivan has been appointed chief executive officer of the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission in a compromise struck between Senator Herron
and the ATSIC board.

The ATSIC commissioners had rejected two indigenous candidates put forward by Senator
Herron with the aid of a corporate head hunting firm.

Senator Herron had rejected ATSIC's preferred choice of Glenn Rees, a non-indigenous
Australian who has acted as CEO for 13 months since Pat Turner resigned.

The stand-off split the indigenous community between those who argued the best candidate
should get the job and those who argued the best candidate must be indigenous.

But Mr Sullivan was agreed to when Senator Herron and the ATSIC board met on Friday for the
first time since a no-confidence motion was carried against the minister in March last year.

Senator Herron's spokesman said support was unanimous for Mr Sullivan, previously deputy
secretary of the immigration and multicultural affairs department.

Senator Herron and ATSIC chairman Gatjil Djerrkura said in a joint statement they welcomed
Mr Sullivan's appointment and looked forward to a productive working relationship.

AAP rmg/mfh/jnb/br

KEYWORD: ATSIC CEO

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