The Australian Press Council (APC) promotes freedom of speech and responsible journalism. It also sets standards and responds to complaints about material in Australian newspapers and magazines, as well as a growing number of online-only publications.
The Australian Press Council (APC) today announced the appointment of Richard Bean as its new Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director. Mr Bean will take up the role on 2 November 2026.
Mr Bean brings more than three decades of experience across media law, communications regulation and independent complaints handling. Most recently, he was Executive Director of Ad Standards from 2020 to 2024, where he led Australia’s independent system for handling complaints about advertising and marketing content, including managing its Community Panel. He is currently a General Member of the Administrative Review Tribunal.
An accomplished senior executive, Mr Bean served as Deputy Chair of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) from 2010 to 2016, and as Acting Chair from 2016 to 2017. By Ministerial appointment, he led the Review into the Optus Outage of 8 November 2023 and co-led the 2018 Efficiency Review of the national broadcasters, the ABC and SBS. He has also served as Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Environment Protection Authority.
Mr Bean began his career as a solicitor in the media and defamation practice of Blake Dawson Waldron (now Ashurst), before serving as Network Legal Counsel at Network Ten, where his work included pre-publication advice to the newsroom on defamation and copyright. He was later General Counsel and Company Secretary of ASX-listed Unwired Group Limited.
Mr Bean holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales, is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Acting Chair Mohamed el Roubi welcomed the appointment.
“Richard brings a rare combination of media law expertise, senior regulatory leadership and deep experience in running independent, community-facing complaints systems. He understands both the newsroom and the public interest. I am confident he will lead the Council with integrity as it continues to develop and uphold contemporary standards of media practice and defend the right of Australians to access information of public interest and freedom of expression through the media. On behalf of the Council, I also thank Kaaren Koomen AM, and Paul Nangle for their leadership as Acting Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director during this period of transition.”
Mr Bean said he was honoured to be joining the APC.
“A free press and public trust in journalism, so critical to our democracy, depend on the establishment and application of standards that are clear, fair and genuinely independent. The Australian Press Council has played a leading role in the regulation of the Australian press for 50 years, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead its work at a time when trust matters more than ever, and technology and artificial intelligence fundamentally change the way information is gathered and communicated. I look forward to working with the Council, the Secretariat, publishers and the community to ensure the Council’s standards and complaints process remain robust, reflective of community expectations, and accessible to all Australians.”
Mr Bean succeeds Yvette Lamont, who led the organisation from September 2021 to July 2026. Paul Nangle will continue as Acting Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director until Mr Bean commences.
About the Australian Press Council
The Australian Press Council, established in 1976, is responsible for promoting high standards of media practice, community access to information of public interest, and freedom of expression through the media.
The APC is the principal body with responsibility for responding to complaints about the published material of its constituent bodies (other than advertisements) in Australian newspapers, magazines and digital sites.
As the principal body for promoting and maintaining high standards in print and digital media, the APC plays a critical role in safeguarding the integrity of journalism through arms-length industry self-regulation and an independent complaints-handling process.
For more information, please contact:
Emma Lagerlow
Media Consultant, Australian Press Council
E: emma.lagerlow@presscouncil.org.au | T: (02) 9261 1930 | M: 0409 446 758
The Australian Press Council (APC) has formally announced its revised Family and Domestic Violence Advisory Guideline following a review and consultation process conducted earlier this year. The Council revised its Advisory Guidelines as part of its periodic review process that aims to ensure that its Guidelines and Standards remain current, relevant and reflect evolving community expectations and address community issues.
The release of the revised Guideline coincides with today's National Roundtable on Media Reporting of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, convened by the Federal Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner, the NSW Women's Safety Commissioner and Our Watch. Australian Press Council Director of Complaints Paul Nangle and Independent Journalist Member Alan Sunderland will participate in the panel discussion, Setting the standard: Towards a more responsible media approach to gender-based violence.
The Council encourages publishers, editors and journalists to familiarise themselves with the revised Guideline and apply its principles to support the responsible reporting of family and domestic violence.
The Advisory Guideline forms part of the Australian Press Council's broader framework for promoting and maintaining high standards of journalistic practice.
The revised Advisory Guideline is available at:
https://presscouncil.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Advisory-Guideline-Family-and-Domestic-Violence-21.4.26.pdf
The Australian Press Council (APC) today announced an orderly leadership transition following Chair Dr Bronte Adams AM's decision to step down due to increasing caring responsibilities for her mother, whose health has recently declined.
Dr Adams will remain Chair through the completion of the CEO recruitment process before handing over to Vice Chair Mohamed el Roubi as Acting Chair. Council member Kaaren Koomen AM has temporarily stepped down from Council to serve as Acting Chief Executive Officer, providing experienced organisational leadership while recruitment of a permanent CEO is finalised. Together, these arrangements will ensure a smooth transition.
Dr Adams has served as Chair since December 2025.
Dr Adams said:
"This has been a very difficult decision, and I genuinely wish circumstances were otherwise. Unfortunately, my mother's health has declined significantly and I need to devote more of my time and attention to caring for her.
It has been a privilege to serve as Chair of the Australian Press Council. I've particularly valued the opportunity to work alongside Council members, the Executive and staff. Their professionalism, generosity and commitment to the public interest have made this role immensely rewarding.
While this is much earlier than I had expected or intended, I leave deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served, and I have every confidence in the future of the organisation."
Vice Chair Mohamed el Roubi thanked Dr Adams for her leadership and said he looked forward to supporting the organisation through the transition.
"I've greatly enjoyed working with Bronte over the past eight months and have appreciated her thoughtful, collaborative and principled approach to leadership.
During her tenure, Bronte has helped strengthen the Council's strategic direction, governance and organisational capability, leaving the Australian Press Council well positioned for the future.
On behalf of the Council, I thank Bronte for her dedicated leadership and significant contribution, and wish her and her family all the very best.
The Council remains focused on appointing its next Chief Executive Officer and continuing its work promoting high standards of media practice, supporting freedom of expression, and providing an independent, fair and accessible complaints process for the Australian community."
Recruitment for a permanent Chair will commence shortly.
For more information, please contact:
Emma Lagerlow
Media Consultant, Australian Press Council
E: emma.lagerlow@presscouncil.org.au | T: (02) 9261 1930
The Australian Press Council acknowledges with sadness the passing of Emeritus Professor Ken McKinnon AO, who served as Chair of the Council from 2000 to 2009.
Professor McKinnon led the Council during a significant period for both the media industry and public policy in Australia, including debates around defamation, privacy, freedom of information and press freedom. During his tenure, he helped guide the Council through a challenging financial period while continuing to support its important role in complaints handling and media standards.
Professor McKinnon was widely respected for his longstanding contribution to higher education, public policy, and civic life in Australia. Beyond the Council, he had a distinguished career in education and public service, including serving as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wollongong from 1981 to 1995. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1995 for service to education, the community, and the arts.
The Council extends its condolences to Professor McKinnon’s family, friends, and colleagues.
Complaint outcomes are called Adjudications. You can search published Adjudications here.