NEW APPOINTMENTS TO NATIONAL ARTS COUNCILS
The Albanese Government has appointed new members to councils overseeing two of our cherished national collecting institutions:
Dr Vanessa Russ to the Australian National Maritime Museum Council for a 3-year term.
The Hon Pat Farmer AM to the Australian National Maritime Museum Council for a 3-year term.
Ms Simonetta Astolfi to the Council of the National Gallery of Australia for 3-year term.
Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the appointees would provide excellent stewardship as members of the Councils.
“Having the right people to protect and guide our cherished cultural institutions is essential to ensure we have the best representative voices leading the way.
“These appointees bring a wealth of experience from across a diverse range fields, and will be great assets to the arts sector.”
Dr Vanessa Russ is a Ngarinyin/Gija artist, researcher and academic from the Kimberley. Dr Russ is an Academic Lead in the School of Population Health at Curtin University. She has previously held senior roles at the University of Melbourne, including as Director, Indigenous Collections (Museums and Collections) and Senior Lecturer in Indigenous Studies. Dr Russ has proven experience working in collections and cultural governance roles as an Associate Director at the Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of Western Australia and within the WA Department of Culture and Arts. She has also served as Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage Oversight Committee, University of Melbourne and as a board member of the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
The Hon Pat Farmer AM is an accomplished Australian ultra marathon runner, world record holder and humanitarian, and is currently the Executive Director of Fleet Foot Promotions Pty Ltd. From 2001 to 2010, Mr Farmer served as the Federal Member for Macarthur, including as Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Science and Training and as Shadow Minister for Sport and Youth. Following this, Mr Farmer served as the Director of the Australian Sports Commission from 2014 to 2023. In 2015 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his significant service to the community through fundraising support for charitable organisations, to ultra-marathon running and to the Parliament of Australia.
Ms Simonetta Astolfi has extensive experience in the legal field and is currently a Partner at Maddocks in Canberra, where she was the founding partner of the firm’s Canberra office. She was previously a partner at Blake Dawson (now Ashurst), and early in her career worked with the Australian Government Solicitor, at the European Parliament and the High Court of Australia as Associate/Tipstaff to the Hon. Sir Gerard Brennan AC KBE GBS QC.
Alongside her legal practice, Ms Astolfi has extensive board and governance experience, including with Maddocks, the Indigenous Marathon Foundation Limited and Canberra Grammar School, where she served as Deputy Chair and Chair of the Board.