We take this opportunity to share with you that after four and half years of distinguished service as President of our association and an entire career dedicated to leading in schools and educating students, Malcolm Elliott has notified the APPA Board of his decision to retire from his presidency.

Malcolm’s excellent advocacy on behalf of primary principals and primary schooling more broadly has continued APPA’s pre-eminent and unique position in the educational arena throughout his tenure as APPA President.

We wish to acknowledge Malcolm’s capacity to forge strong and reciprocal relationships with a broad range of educational stakeholders including successive Ministers of Education, the Commonwealth Department of Education, ACARA, AITSL, ESA and AERO. The partnership built and continued with the New Zealand Principals’ Federation has been of great mutual benefit.

Malcolm’s notable service and leadership have been so evident through the pandemic and then more recently in progressing the actions and responses of the Principal Health & Wellbeing Survey, the National School Reform Agreement Review and the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan.

In this interim period, the APPA Board are committed to ensuring the work continues. The recruitment process has already commenced for a new president to lead APPA, building on the excellent support, leadership and advocacy by Malcolm and the strong foundations and legacies of our other former APPA presidents.

We sincerely thank Malcolm for his dedication to APPA and wish him well in his retirement.

Sally Ruston AM
APPA Deputy President