The Government will be recommending to the Governor General that Mr Dennis Trewin be appointed as Australian Statistician.
Mr Trewin will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Mr Bill McLennan.
Mr McLennan has had a career which spans over 40 years, primarily in the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), which culminated in his appointment as Australian Statistician in 1995. Mr McLennan helped to build, and has upheld, the international reputation of the ABS. He has made a substantial contribution to the direction of the ABS and has played a key role in its international activities, particularly in the Asian region. The regard in which Mr McLennan is held is evident in his appointments as the Director of the Office of National Statistics in the United Kingdom, the position he held prior to being appointed Australian Statistician, and as Chair of the United Nations Statistical Commission.
Mr Trewin will equally bring a wealth of experience to the role of Australian Statistician. Mr Trewin currently holds the position of Deputy Australian Statistician, prior to which he was the Deputy Government Statistician at Statistics New Zealand. Before joining Statistics New Zealand, Mr Trewin held senior positions in various areas of the ABS and he has broad experience in all areas of the organisation. Mr Trewin is also currently President-Elect of the International Statistical Institute.