The word is out. After
the cowardly attack on ABC chairman, Donald McDonald in a story full of
anonymous backstabbing by board members and Cabinet ministers, it’s now clear
that Donald won’t be getting a third term as chairman of the national
broadcaster.

Instead, a recently
appointed board member, Steven Skala is the hot tip.
Here’s what Mark Day reported in The Australian’s Media Section this morning.

I received a couple of
emails Wednesday night which merely had Mr Skala’s name and CV from the ABC website, with a anonymous
message about watching “this bloke” for the chairman’s gig at the
ABC.

So here’s his
CV:

Mr Steven Skala was appointed a Director (of the ABC) for a five year
term from 6 October 2005.

Steven is Vice Chairman, Australia and New Zealand of Deutsche
Bank AG. He is also Chairman of Film Australia Limited, Hexima Limited and Live Events Wireless Pty Limited and
is a director of Max Re Capital Ltd, Wilson HTM Investment Group Limited, the
Australian Ballet and the Centre for Independent Studies.

Steven serves as the Vice
President of the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, as a
Trustee of the Sir Zelman Cowen Cancer Foundation, and as a Member of the
International Council of the Museum
of Modern Art, New York (MoMA).

In addition, he is a
Member of the Grievance Tribunal of Cricket Australia.
Steven is the immediate past Chairman of the Australian Centre for
Contemporary Art, and has been a director of the Channel Ten Group of
Companies and The King Island
Company Limited.

Between 1985 and 2004,
Steven was a partner of Arnold Bloch Leibler,
Solicitors and head of its corporate and commercial
practice.

So he
has sporting, business, cultural and the right political credentials (he
apparently is also a member of the Centre for Independent Studies, a right wing
think tank), which is more than you can say for most other members of the
board.

Is he a head kicker, like some in the government want, or is he
merely the best placed “revenge” candidate for Michael Kroger and
Jonathan Shier against Donald McDonald who stood up to their blustering
a few years ago?