Appointment of Australian Statistician

The Government will be recommending to the Governor General that Mr Dennis Trewin

be appointed as Australian Statistician.

Mr Trewin will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Mr Bill McLennan.

Mr McLennan has had a career which spans over 40 years, primarily

in the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), which culminated in

his appointment as Australian Statistician in 1995. Mr McLennan helped

to build, and has upheld, the international reputation of the ABS. He

has made a substantial contribution to the direction of the ABS and has

played a key role in its international activities, particularly in the

Asian region. The regard in which Mr McLennan is held is evident

in his appointments as the Director of the Office of National Statistics

in the United Kingdom, the position he held prior to being appointed Australian

Statistician, and as Chair of the United Nations Statistical Commission.

Mr Trewin will equally bring a wealth of experience to the role

of Australian Statistician. Mr Trewin currently holds the position

of Deputy Australian Statistician, prior to which he was the Deputy Government

Statistician at Statistics New Zealand. Before joining Statistics New

Zealand, Mr Trewin held senior positions in various areas of the

ABS and he has broad experience in all areas of the organisation. Mr Trewin

is also currently President-Elect of the International Statistical Institute.

CANBERRA

29 June 2000