Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison has been reappointed for another five-year term at the helm of the embattled agency, Crikey can reveal.
Harrison’s reappointment, which the government has been keeping quiet for nearly two months, happened as her agency was being investigated by the Australian Federal Police and just weeks after she was criticised by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for failing to immediately report potential corrupt conduct within the agency.
The decision to reappoint Harrison was made by the Tourism Australia board, and Trade Minister Don Farrell told the prime minister the news on July 4, a document released to Crikey on Wednesday night under freedom of information (FOI) laws shows.
“Tourism Australia’s board chair, Mr Michael Issenberg, has written to me informing me of the boards [sic] unanimous decision on the matter,” Farrell wrote in a letter to Anthony Albanese.
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