By Annette Shailer
The Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation (AER) Foundation has appointed Michael Thorn, a senior Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet official, as its new chief executive officer.
Thorn, a project director in the department’s strategy and delivery division since May 2009, will take up the post on January 31.
AER Foundation chairman, Cheryl Bart, said Thorn will set new directions for the AER Foundation as it focuses on preventing the harms caused by alcohol misuse around Australia.
“Michael brings to the role strong strategic policy credentials gained from working at the highest levels of government for most of his career,” Bart said.
Bart said that Thorn’s particular expertise in areas such as crime prevention and law and justice is particularly relevant to the AER Foundation as an effective advocate for policies aimed at reducing the level of alcohol-related harm in Australia.
“Michael joins the AER Foundation at a time when the Government’s first National Preventative Health Agency takes on the significant challenge of tackling the harms caused by alcohol, obesity and smoking," Bart said.
"It is also a year in which we await the Government’s response to a major report recommending an overhaul of food labelling laws, including alcohol products; and a tax summit where we hope to see the re-tabling of recommendations for the introduction of a fairer tax system on alcohol.
“Under Mr Thorn’s leadership, the AER Foundation looks forward to galvanising community support and government action to help reduce the $36 billion annual cost of alcohol misuse in Australia.”
In September last year Ian Chalmers resigned after just over two months in the CEO job.