A retired brigadier who held senior roles helping with the 2009 Afghanistan election has been appointed as the ACT's new electoral commissioner.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Speaker Joy Burch announced on Tuesday Brigadier Damian Cantwell will take over the role in the wake of long-serving commissioner Phillip Green's departure earlier this year.
Brigadier Cantwell had served as a commissioned officer for 37 years, including in high-level roles in the United States and helping the new Afghanistan government run its 2009 election.
ACT Electoral Commission chairwoman Dawn Casey said it was clear he approached the role with a "high level of personal energy, commitment, integrity and strong ethics" needed for the position.
She said he also had a wealth of executive leadership and "change management experience".
Brigadier Cantwell said he looked forward to leading Elections ACT and "building on their highly valued skills to serve the Legislative Assembly and people of the ACT in the future".
He will take over the role at the start of November, after months of Ro Spence acting in the role since Mr Green's departure.
