Dr Ron Brunton is an Australian

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

. He was the director of Encompass Research Pty Ltd, and was on the Board of the

public broadcaster Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

, the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

(ABC) for a five-year term from 1 May 2003.

Biography

Prior to his appointment to the ABC Board, Brunton was a fortnightly columnist for ''

The Courier-Mail ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner norther ...

'' from 1997 to 2003, a Senior Fellow at the

right wing Right-wing politics is the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position b ...

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

, the

Institute of Public Affairs The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) is a conservative non-profit free market public policy think tank, Political links and networking The IPA Victoria was founded during World War II by businessmen in response to the feared growing power of ...

, from 1995 to 2001, and a contributor to the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

literary and political journal '' Quadrant''. In his articles, Brunton was highly critical of the '' Bringing Them Home'' report on the stolen generations. He has also written scathing criticisms of both the High Court's 1992 '' Mabo v Queensland'' decision and the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. In addition, he enunciated the view that the "secret women's business" of the Ngarrindjeri women during the Hindmarsh Island bridge controversy was a fabrication, and he came to the defence of the murdered Dutch politician

Pim Fortuyn Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn (; 19 February 1948 – 6 May 2002), was a Dutch politician, author, civil servant, businessman, sociologist and academic who founded the party Pim Fortuyn List (Lijst Pim Fortuyn or LPF) in ...

, who called on

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

immigrants to assimilate into Dutch society and culture. In 2003, Brunton was appointed to the ABC Board by the government of John Howard. That created controversy over the balance of political ideologies represented among board members. Then shadow minister Lindsay Tanner described Brunton as an "ideological zealot" with "no background in public broadcasting", whose appointment was a "disgrace". Encompass Research Pty Ltd, previously called Ron Brunton Research Pty. Ltd, was an organisation engaged in anthropological and

socio-economic Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analys ...

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

, concentrating on native title, indigenous heritage,

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...

and environmental issues. Brunton has published a range of research papers and books on anthropological matters, and has lectured in anthropology at universities in Australia and at the University of Papua New Guinea. He has also appeared as an

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

in a number of native title court cases across Australia, having been engaged by parties involved in native title

litigation A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. ...

Education

Brunton completed his Ph.D. at

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...

with a thesis on

kava Kava or kava kava (''Piper methysticum'': Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Ancient Greek, Greek 'intoxicating') is a plant in the Piperaceae, pepper family, native to the Pacific Islands. The name ''kava'' is from Tongan language, Tongan and Marqu ...

use in

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...

. In 1973, he completed an M.A. at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, with a thesis titled ''Social stratification, trade and ceremonial exchange in Melanesia''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunton, Ron Australian anthropologists Australian businesspeople Board members of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Living people Academic staff of the University of Papua New Guinea 1945 births