Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Chair Josephine Sukkar AM has welcomed the appointment of outgoing Paralympics Australia CEO Lynne Anderson to the ASC Board.
Minister for Sport Richard Colbeck announced today that Ms Anderson, pictured, has joined the ASC Board for a three-year term, starting today.
Minister Colbeck has also extended the terms of existing members, appointing Andrew Ireland as Deputy Chair and re-appointing Kurt Fearnley AO and Amanda Laing as members, all for three-year terms.
During her six years with Paralympics Australia, Ms Anderson made a significant contribution to para-sport overseeing substantial organisational change to benefit the Paralympic community and ensuring inclusive opportunities for community sport participants to high performance para-athletes.
Ms Sukkar said: “The ASC is no stranger to Ms Anderson’s unwavering commitment to athlete welfare and the para-sport cause, having partnered with Paralympics Australia on a number of key initiatives including the Para-Sport Equipment Fund, technology and innovation support through wheelchair and winter sport engineering projects, and high-performance support including performance pathways.
“We look forward to the experience and commitment Ms Anderson will bring to our organisation as we deliver on our mission to make Australia stronger through sport and build sustainable winning systems for Australian athletes.”
Ms Anderson has rigorously championed the needs of the Paralympic community and lead a successful Tokyo 2020 Paralympics campaign which saw our largest ever Australian team at an overseas Paralympic Games take home 80 medals including 21 gold.
She said she was thrilled to continue her connection with sport through her new role as an ASC Commissioner.
“I’m so grateful for my role at Paralympics Australia and will forever remain one of Paralympic sports biggest advocates.
“We’re facing a once in a lifetime opportunity to unite the nation through sport with a host of major sporting events already confirmed ahead of a home Olympics and Paralympics in 2032. I couldn’t be more excited or proud to join the ASC at this pivotal time for Australian sport and help play a role in driving participation and supporting high performance sport.”
Ms Sukkar also paid tribute to Steve Moneghetti AM, Jennifer Morris OAM and Pippa Downes who will finish their tenures on the ASC Board this month.
“Our Commissioners have had a tremendous impact on the direction of the ASC and we have been very fortunate to have the calibre of Commissioners that we do,” she said.
“I’d particularly like to thank Steve for the incredible support and guidance he has provided in his role as Deputy Chair, a position he has held for the past three years. He also led the Board as Acting Chair for three months and brought excellent leadership and knowledge as an athlete and administrator to the role.”
Ms Sukkar also thanked Ms Morris and Ms Downes for their valuable contributions to the ASC, having served six and three-year terms respectively.
