The Australian Government has appointed Professor Sarah Holland-Batt and reappointed Dr Shane Simpson AM as members of the Council of the National Library of Australia for three-year terms.
Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said both members would contribute significant experience towards the management and operation of the Library.
"Shane has been a valuable member of the Council, providing expertise and knowledge in the arts and law for the past six years and his insight will continue to be of great value.
"I'd also like to welcome Sarah, whose experience will help the National Library forge stronger connections with Australia's academic and literary communities.
"The library holds some of our Nation's most valuable treasures, and is the custodian of Trove, so we need strong leadership to guide its administration."
The Council - established by the National Library Act 1960 - is the National Library's governing body and sets the overall strategic direction of the Library.
Dr Shane Simpson AM is Special Counsel at Simpsons Solicitors, having established the firm in 1986. One of Australia's most highly regarded intellectual property and entertainment lawyers, Dr Simpson was the founder of the Arts Law Centre of Australia and has served as the Chair of the Bundanon Trust Board, the New South Wales Film and Television Office (now Screen NSW), Museums and Galleries of NSW and various other boards and foundations. In 2011 Dr Simpson was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the law and the arts through leading roles in intellectual property and entertainment law, and as a contributor to a range of cultural organisations.
Professor Sarah Holland-Batt is an award-winning contemporary poet, editor, critic and academic. Professor Holland-Batt's books have won several literary prizes, including the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Poetry, the Stella Prize, the Queensland Premier's Award for State Significance and more. Her poems have been widely published in international journals and magazines, including The New Yorker and Poetry, and have been translated into several languages. In 2025 Professor Holland-Batt was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. Professor Holland-Batt is a member of the Creative Writing and Literary Studies faculty at Queensland University of Technology. She also works as an advisor to various industry bodies and is currently Chair of Australian Book Review.
