Old Parliament House appointments

The Albanese Labor Government is today announcing the appointment of Mr Barrie Cassidy as the new Chair of the Board of Old Parliament House, and the reappointment of Ms Gai Brodtmann as a member of the Board, each for three years.

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the appointment of Mr Cassidy as Chair would bring significant experience and knowledge to Old Parliament House.

“There are very few people who worked in both Old Parliament House and New Parliament House, who served in the press galleries of both buildings and the ministerial wings of both buildings.

“Mr Cassidy played an historic role in Old Parliament House. I’m pleased that he’ll now be chairing the board that manages that building, to tell its stories for generations to come.”

Ms Brodtmann’s re‑appointment will enable her to continue to make a important contribution.

“Gai Brodtmann, as a former parliamentarian, was a champion of the collecting institutions, including Old Parliament House – the Museum of Australian Democracy,” Minister Burke said.

“Ms Brodtmann was appointed by the previous government to serve on the board and I’m very pleased that she has agreed to continue in this capacity.”

Mr Cassidy is a retired political journalist and current affairs television presenter. He began his career working at regional newspapers before joining the Melbourne Herald as a court reporter, and in 1979, became a federal political correspondent for radio and television. He was also previously the President of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery.

In 1986, Mr Cassidy became the personal press secretary, and later, senior political advisor to Prime Minister the Hon Bob Hawke MP. In 1991, he worked as a correspondent for The Australian newspaper in Washington and subsequently worked for the ABC as a European correspondent based in Brussels. When Mr Cassidy returned to Australia he played a pivotal role in the creation of the ABC’s Insiders television program, which he hosted from 2001 to 2019. He has also hosted ABC News Breakfast, Offsiders and One Plus One.

Ms Brodtmann is a former parliamentarian who served as the Federal Member for Canberra from 2010 to 2019. Prior to entering parliament, Ms Brodtmann was in private enterprise and before that spent 10 years in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Attorney General’s Department. Ms Brodtmann sits on a number of corporate boards and is the Co‑Founder and Chair of ‘Fearless Women Incorporated’. This will be Ms Brodtmann’s second term on the Board.