Administrator to be appointed to APY Lands following shock report
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher will appoint an administrator to the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands and suspend its existing board for three months.
Maher will appoint an administrator on September 3, exactly one year after a controversial board meeting where a general manager appointment breached the APY Code of Conduct.
The APY Lands covers more than 100,000 square kilometres far north-west of South Australia, including multiple First Nations communities, and is governed by an executive board elected for three-year terms.
A government spokesperson said the decision, announced Wednesday, followed “several concerning findings” by conciliator Greg Rooney, which were revealed in a report tabled in parliament last week.
“These findings related to an unsuccessful 18-month process to recruit a new APY General Manager, including non-disclosure of conflicts of interest, board members being placed in the position of voting on important decisions without all of the relevant information, and misleading statements being provided to the Minister,” the spokesperson said.
Rooney’s report revealed the recruitment process was a “waste of $32,580 of APY and government funds” and “a failure of proper accountable administration”.
The process started in early 2023, and an external recruiter appointed by the board had two preferred candidates by mid-2024.
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But neither of the preferred candidates got the job.
The report alleged that at the board meeting held September 3, 2024, APY general manager Richard King put his own name forward for a further three-year term instead of the two candidates.
King did not declare a conflict of interest and did not remove himself from the meeting and, as the only candidate put forward, he was elected by the board.
The September 3 meeting was the first time the APY board met after being elected on August 21, 2024 and was comprised of eight new members and six re-elected members.
Rooney found “there was a deliberate decision to withhold relevant and significant information” about the preferred candidates from the board, which “deprived the new Board of the ability to make a considered and appropriate decision when considering this important and consequential appointment”.
The report also revealed that earlier in 2024, King’s wife and APY Lands stakeholder engagement manager Tania King, was tasked with organising a May 2024 meeting for the board to progress the recruitment.
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This meeting was never scheduled, and the report said it was at this point that the recruitment process “was, for some unknown reason, abandoned”.
King’s appointment as general manager on September 3 was found “constitutionally invalid” and Rooney directed that it be struck out, with an immediate recruitment process to be undertaken to fill the role.
In a statement on Wednesday night, King said he would step down after 12 years in the role, to return to Adelaide and be closer to family.
“There have been challenges during my tenure, but also significant achievements, and I remain proud of what has been delivered in partnership with Anangu,” the statement read.
“I had decided to step down in 2023, with the expectation that a recruitment process would be undertaken in 2024 to identify new leadership. However, when that process encountered difficulties, I agreed to stay on and provide stability.
“I acknowledge the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs’ decision to now suspend the executive board and appoint an administrator to oversee the recruitment of a new general manager.
“I wish the administrator well and encourage staff and stakeholders to work with them constructively in this process.”
King’s statement said he would make himself available “to support a smooth transition for whoever takes on the role”.
The conciliator’s report was prompted by a whistleblower who contacted the minister with allegations of delays and obstruction of the recruitment process.
A government spokesperson said Maher’s decision to appoint administrators “follows requests from current and former Executive Board members to bring about change”.
“Above all, the Minister is determined that APY and its administration are working for the benefit of all Aṉangu,” the spokesperson said.
