A HAL jA,
PRIME MINISTER Press Statement No. 469
12 March 1975
APPOINTMENT OF MR POWELL TO POSITION OF CHAIRMAN
OF DARWIN RECONSTRUCTION COMMISSION
The Prime Minister announced today that
Mr A. J. W. Powell, aged 41, the Commissioner of the National
Capital Development Commission, has also been chosen by
the Government as Chairman of the Darwin Reconstruction
Commission following the resignation of Sir Leslie Thiess.
In announcing the appointment, which will take
effect as from 13 March 1975, the Prime Minister said he
would like to express his own and the Government's
appreciation of Sir Leslie Thiess' public spirit in launching
and leading the Darwin Interim Reconstruction Commission.
The Prime Minister said that Mr Powell has been
Commissioner of the NCDC since February 1974 and brings
to this task a wide professional background in a private
enterprise field and in both State and Federal authorities.
The Prime Minister added that Mr Powell had not
only expressed, but through his actions as Commissioner of
the NCDC, had demonstrated his concern for the need for
meaningful communication with the community and associated
government departments and authorities.
The Australian Government believed that his forceful
attitude coupled with his professional expertise would ensure
that the massive job waiting to be done in Darwin would
proceed without undue delay.
The Prime Minister outlined the following details
of Mr Powell's qualifications and experience:
His professional qualifications are: BE; DipTCP ( Syd);
MRAPI. His professional experience comprises five
years between 1958-1963 as an investigation and
research engineer, first with the Snowy mountains
Hydro-Electric Authority in Australia and later
with a private enterprise firm in Britain. This was
followed by a year with the Cumberland County
Council and then between 1964-1970 with the N. S. W.
State Planning Authority. From 1970-1973 Mr Powell
was in private practice as a consultant town plann~ er
gh~ d p-ihioipl ink his o0ii firm; BefdrL-his Apobintnent
-2-
as Commissioner of the NCDC, he spent a year
on contract with the Department of Urban and Regional
Development assisting in the initial setting
up of the Department. Mr Powell has been an
external lecturer in town planning at the
University of Sydney as well as occupying
posts on various government committees concerned
with planning and transportation. He was
Vice-President ( 1972) of the NSW Division,
Royal Australian Planning Institute and in the
period 1970-1974, he was a member of the
Council of the N. R. M. A.
CANBERRA. A. C. T.