The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) is delighted to announce that Laura Jean McKay, John Byron, and Emily Tsokos Purtill have been elected to the Board of Directors, and ASA Chair Jennifer Mills has been elected to serve another term. The ASA would like to warmly thank outgoing Directors Kelly Gardiner and Danielle Clode for their dedication and generosity serving on the Board.

ASA Chair, Jennifer Mills said, ‘We welcome newly elected Directors Emily Tsokos Purtill, John Byron and Laura Jean McKay who each bring a wealth of skill and experience to the board. We had a very strong field of candidates this election and I am thrilled to have been re-elected beside them. 

‘I am grateful to outgoing Board Directors Kelly Gardiner and Danielle Clode, each of whom has made a vital contribution during their terms. Among their numerous roles, Kelly served as Deputy Chair from 2022-2025, and Danielle has represented the ASA on the Boards of Copyright Agency and Authors Legal. I have learned so much from these highly dedicated and switched-on Directors – thank you for everything you have done for the Board and for authors.’

This year, the ASA’s Director Election saw a record number of votes, highlighting an increasing level of engagement from our creator community.

‘I am thrilled to welcome John, Laura, and Emily to our board, and to see Jen elected to serve another term,’ ASA CEO Lucy Hayward says. ‘It is a time of great change for the author and illustrator community, with the next National Cultural Policy on the horizon and the significant threats to creative careers continuing to be posed by the development of generative artificial intelligence. I am looking forward to working closely with our new Directors to steward the ASA and our community through this watershed moment.’ 

We will introduce the new Board Directors to the membership in our Getting to Know You series in the ASA Newsletter in 2027.