Ita Buttrose will not seek to return as ABC Chair at the conclusion of her current term, which expires in March 2024.

The decision was confirmed in an announcement by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, who called Buttrose a “formidable corporate leader”.

Ita Buttrose. Photo courtesy of the Macular Disease Foundation Australia.

“[Buttrose has] served with distinction, speaking truth to power and upholding governance standards to protect independent public broadcasting,” said Rowland.

“I have enjoyed my time at the ABC immensely and am honoured to have chaired such a great Australian institution for five years,” said Buttose.

“There is still work to be done between now and March next year. Until then, it is business as usual.”

Buttrose was first appointed to the position by Scott Morrison and the Coalition government in 2019, following the forced resignation of Justin Milne in the wake of allegations that he had pushed for the removal of staffers and had attempted to intervene in editorial matters. 

Only five months after she was placed at the helm, the Australian Federal...