Services

Management and Leadership

Peter Loxton has extensive experience as a leader and in all aspects of senior management. Peter Loxton and Associates (PLA) works with CEOs, executives, and those aspiring to leadership and management roles. For many years Peter has been providing trusted and respected confidential advice and support to dozens of CEOs, senior managers and people he has mentored.

He has led and directed managers in up to a hundred locations around states, the nation and the world. This experience, combined with his strong communication skills, demonstrates that he is highly capable of providing management strategy, advice, support or mentoring either directly or remotely.

PLA is strongly committed to executive development. We can work either directly with individuals seeking advancement, or through organisations wishing to provide development support to existing staff, as well as new recruits, with management and leadership potential. PLA has a strong interest in supporting and advising people from population groups which are usually under-represented in senior positions, including women, Aboriginal people, people from different cultural backgrounds, and people with disabilities.

We also have a great deal of experience in linking organisational goals and strategies to management structures, and recruitment of the best possible people for key positions. Peter has a huge amount of experience of chairing and participating in selection panels for senior managers and CEOs across many areas of government, media and the arts, and clearly understands the mix of skills and experience required to meet challenging management roles.

A brief summary of PLA’s management and leadership services includes:

Management Strategy
Review, Analysis and Advice
Organisational Change and Restructures
Corporate Goal-Setting, Business and Action Planning
Representation and Management Services
Mentoring and Executive Coaching
Executive Development
Equal Employment Opportunity
Structure Review
Executive Recruitment
Independent Representative on Selection Panels
Performance Review, Management and Feedback
Workplace Mediation
Workplace Reform
Maximising Efficiency and Effectiveness in Service Delivery
Measurement and Monitoring of Outputs and Outcomes
Budget, Resource and Asset Management Strategy
Back Office and Corporate Services Review

Management

Government and Public Policy

We work with Local, State, Territory and Australian Governments, and with companies and organisations working with, or needing to work with, government and the public sector. We are not lobbyists, spin doctors or sales people. We provide trusted, informed policy options, strategic advice and oversee implementation.

Peter Loxton has 40 years experience in public service with the Federal Government and two State governments. His experience includes 25 years in senior management, working with Ministers, Ministerial advisers, agency CEOs, and senior executives, as well as with business, media, non-government and community organisations.

He has worked in many areas of public policy, project and issues management and service delivery, and has operated at global, national, state, regional and local levels.

Peter understands intimately and recently how public policy is developed, and how to make things happen in government. He has worked with all agencies across NSW Government and with many agencies in other jurisdictions.

We bring fresh perspectives, considerable experience and energy to dealing innovatively with complex, challenging multi-stakeholder issues, and draw on extensive contacts in government, business and the community.

Government

Arts & Culture

Through Peter Loxton and Associates Pty Ltd, Peter has completed a major consulting role working with the seven CEOs of the NSW Cultural Institutions, Arts NSW and the Director General of the Department of the Arts Sport and Recreation to develop a comprehensive and coordinated Arts Strategy linked to the NSW State Plan.

He has held several significant national and state arts administration roles, including Director of ABC Radio, acted for four months as Director General of the NSW Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation, and served as the Premier’s representative on the Sydney Festival Board. He has also sat on selection committees for CEOs of the Opera House, Powerhouse, Film and Television Office, Sydney Festival, as well as Executive Director Arts NSW.

Peter Loxton has a long-standing interest in, knowledge and experience of, and commitment to, arts and culture.

Peter demonstrated his interest from his early days in Brisbane, when he won the Warana Festival’s Best Director Award at 21 years of age. At around the same time, he produced half hour radio documentaries for the ABC on the artist, Ian Fairweather (the only interview recorded and now held in archives) and Aboriginal poet, Oodgeroo Noonuccal (then Kath Walker) about her vision for Moongalba or ‘sitting down place’ on her tribal land on Stradbroke Island.

Over many years, Peter had management and editorial responsibility for a wide range of arts and cultural performance and reportage radio and television programs. When he was Radio Manager in Victoria, he initiated new arts programming. Later in national roles, he established arts rounds in News, significantly increased Australian music composition and performance on Triple J, and initiated and chaired the first national conference to develop strategies to increase Arts programming across all ABC Radio networks. For more than a decade he was responsible for all aspects of all program production and scheduling on Radio National, ABC Classic FM and Triple J.

Peter provided leadership both directly and through Management Boards for Symphony Orchestras, ABC Enterprises and Online services.

Peter maintains a strong interest in many areas of art and culture including a range of music genres, drama, visual art including photography, film, bonsai and sculpture, acoustic art, opera and ballet, as well as in Indigenous art and culture.

Arts

Broadcast media and film, including digital content production

There are few people better placed to provide consulting services in media, and even fewer who have successfully undertaken very senior roles in both media and government.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Peter Loxton has more than 25 years of experience as a broadcaster, including as a: freelance presenter and documentary maker; broadcast journalist; specialist program maker; radio and television presenter, producer and director; music programmer; executive producer; radio, television and online editor; studio, asset and technology planner and manager; and editor-in-chief of ABC Radio. Peter played a key leadership role the expansion of ABC networks, programs and services around Australia.

During his time in senior ABC management, Peter played a critical leadership role in some of the most significant developments in the history of the ABC. These included: a massive 500% expansion of transmitters; many new local studios; successful early introduction of digital technology; doubling of international bureaux; many new local services and two new national networks (Triple J and NewsRadio); and ground-breaking developments in multi-media production and media leadership in internet including audio streaming.

In the early 1990s, he initiated and chaired an international conference on digital audio technology and its implications for future services. He planned the programming and delivery of cable and other digital audio channels. See the end of this section for a summary of Peter’s ABC and other media roles.

Continuing Roles with Media

Peter has had a continuing role with the media throughout all his employment over the past 39 years, starting as a cadet journalist in 1969, and including his senior roles in Premier’s Department and Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation. His knowledge of the media is widely recognised and vast.

NSW Premier’s Department

As well as working in the media at the ABC for 24 years, Peter has continued his involvement with media, and especially film and digital content production over the past decade at Premier’s Department. He also had high-level involvement in media and infrastructure planning including the future of broadband and AM radio towers.

He was directly involved in issues including: e-participation and e-democracy; expanded use of online and television for improved, more responsive service delivery; building recognition of the cultural and economic benefits of arts and media; contributing to social and community development by providing access to arts including film-making for Aboriginal and Arabic-speaking youth, people with disabilities, young, single pregnant women and youth at risk.

Peter represented Premier’s Department, working closely with State and Regional Development and the NSW Film and Television Office to promote innovation, cultural and media industries and in NSW.

He initiated and chaired the Premier’s Film Round Table, which brought agencies together from all levels of government to cut red tape and enable production of many local films, television programs and commercials. He also worked with directors, executive producers and location producers on movies including Mission Impossible 2, Matrix 1, 2 and 3 and Superman Returns.

Peter has forged links between the film industry, public sector and government on important issues like improving and simplifying access to locations for film makers and overseeing new film-friendly policy and legislation.

He also chaired multi-stakeholder meetings on digital content production including government, PDV industry and universities to develop strategies to bridge skills gaps and make NSW more attractive to this important, rapidly growing industry.

This is a summary of Peter’s roles in media from 1969 to 1997:

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) 1973- 1997

Head ABC Olympics Strategy (May 1997 – Sept 1997)
Head ABC Technology Strategy (Sept 1996 – May 1997)
Head ABC Radio (February 1992 – September 1996)
(Also during this time acted as Managing Director, Deputy MD and Head ABC Television)
General Manager Metropolitan and Regional Stations and Triple J (Oct 1987 - Feb 1992)
Controller Radio National and ABC FM (June 1987 – Oct 1987)
Controller General Programs (Radio) (May 1986 – June 1987)
Radio Manager Victoria, Melbourne (Feb 1984 – May 1986)
Manager 3LO, Melbourne (Oct 1982 – Feb 1984)
Supervisor Radio, Newcastle (Feb 1981 – Oct 1982)
Rural Reporter Rockhampton, Longreach, Darwin and Newcastle (1973 – 1981)

QUEENSLAND DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES 1968 – 1973

Cadet Journalist/Information Officer (Radio), Brisbane. (1969 – 1973)

Media

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and service transformation

Peter Loxton has had a long-term interest in and involvement with the application of information and communications technology (ICT) to service improvement and workplace reform. He played a key role with ideas and innovation leading to new ways of producing and transmitting radio and online content and programs at the ABC.

As a senior radio manager, he regularly attended engineering conferences and worked closely with broadcast engineers and technicians to form a shared understanding of what was possible and then to deliver initiatives. He was part of a team that enabled ABC Radio to lead the world in the application of technology. He led an initiative for ABC Radio to host an international conference on digital radio, which he chaired.

Some examples of initiatives included:

development and sale of the digital editing system, DCart, which was used by major broadcasters around the world
development and sale of digital delay equipment, which enabled accurate, high-quality delay of programs across time zones
very early use of burning CDs for music play lists for local stations, played using remote controlled CD juke boxes, and delivery of new releases by satellite

Peter continued to push the expansion of radio services like Triple J to regional Australia, the creation of NewsRadio and new online services. This was enabled by increased efficiencies made possible through the innovative application of ICT.

Peter continued his strong interest in ICT and applied this to e-Government at NSW Government, with the aim of improving efficiency, responsiveness, equity and effectiveness of service delivery.

Peter represented Premier’s Department in dealing with ICT industry and at the most senior levels on a wide range of government initiatives. He chaired many multi-agency initiatives under the Channels and Access Committee. He was a member of the NSW Government Broadband and Telecommunications Steering Committees and participated on steering committees for the Government Radio Network, and major IT initiatives and investments for Education, Police and Health. He worked closely with telecommunications companies on issues such as mobile phone towers and regional access.

He was also a member, and at times chaired, the e-Government CEOs Committee and led initiatives for NSW Government on improving public engagement through e-democracy and e-participation.

ICT

Social and justice policy and issues

Peter has had an active involvement in these areas both during his time at the ABC and more particularly at NSW Government.

Over the past decade, he led hundreds of whole-of-government and whole-of-community projects and issues across the State, and had a significant input into the development of new policies and strategic approaches which drew attention around the world.

He led innovative place management initiatives from 1997 in Kings Cross, Cabramatta and Redfern-Waterloo, and later led Community Solutions and Crime Prevention responses in ‘hot spot’ locations throughout NSW. His leadership of the Regional Coordination Program over several years provided a mechanism for new, cooperative arrangements at the local and regional level to respond to social and justice issues.

He played a leading role in significant, community-based programs aimed at youth at risk, including Aboriginal, Arabic-speaking and Pacific Islander Youth.

His multi-agency experience through Premier’s Department and knowledge and understanding of these areas, led to him being invited to act for several months as both Director General of the Dept of Aging and Disability and also as Deputy Director General of the Department of Community Services.

For many years he represented Premier’s Department on the Human Services and Criminal Justice CEO Cluster Groups, which led the joint development of new policies across these areas.

He had responsibility for a wide range of community development and crime prevention initiatives including the Crime Prevention Council. He took on responsibility for a Director Operations and an Assistant Commissioner of Police who was Director Crime Prevention. They worked together with a small team, and with agencies across NSW Government and other jurisdictions, to deliver innovative, community-based policies, strategies and actions in responses to social dislocation and crime.

He oversaw the launch and growth of the very successful ‘communitybuilders’ website and the ‘People Places Partnerships’ Conference.

Peter has maintained strong interest in these issues and trusted contacts within governments, non-government and the community sector.

Social

Economic development, innovation and infrastructure

Peter Loxton has been strongly motivated by the opportunities from innovation, creativity and ideas throughout his career.

At NSW Government, he had an active involvement with economic development, innovation and infrastructure, working very closely with the Department of State and Regional Development and other relevant agencies and areas including Primary Industries, Mining, Tourism, Arts, Education, Transport and RTA. He was a member of the Major Events Steering Committee for some years.

He has worked on a wide range of ecomomic development issues ranging from film, television and digital industries, to oysters and agriculture. He provided coordination and facilitation for major investments such as mineral sand mining in western NSW to the Visy pulp and paper mill near Tumut.

In infrastructure, Peter’s experience is extensive. This included membership of Steering Committees for the Sydney to Canberra Very High Speed Train, and NSW Government Broadband and Telecommunications. He has also had major involvement in regional and rural infrastructure, including hospitals, libraries, swimming pools and sporting fields, and recently provided the secretariat for the Rural and Regional Taskforce.

Economic

Communications and marketing

Communications have been at the heart of Peter Loxton’s roles and expertise throughout his life and career. He is a communications professional with a great deal of experience as a leader, manager and broadcaster.

One of our largest consultancies through Peter Loxton and Associates has involved the requirement to develop a significant communications and education strategy in relation to public safety.

Peter has led, developed and implemented dozens of successful communications and marketing strategies over many years.

Major examples of his experience include his key role in developing logos for ABC Radio, and the names and logos for Triple J and ABC Classic FM. He also led low-cost extensive marketing campaigns for Classic FM and Radio National and major campaigns for Triple J, Regional Radio and for individual Metropolitan Stations.

These campaigns, combined with significant on-air improvements, led to significant success with unprecedented growth in audience share, reach and appreciation.

In addition to network campaigns, Peter led a large number of campaigns for program streams, such as news, arts and local information, as well as for individual programs like ‘AM’, ‘PM’, ‘Australia All Over’ and the Andrew Olle morning program. He also participated directly in the creation and promotion of community-based initiatives like Open Days around the nation, the Australian Open Gardens Scheme and the Rural Woman of the Year Award.

While with NSW Government, Peter was involved with the development of several communications and marketing campaigns for major events and tourism. He was also heavily involved with promoting new and improved services and service channels. Peter led the coordination of NSW Government logos and creating a consistent look and feel for websites.

Peter brings a unique combination of high-level experience in communications and marketing from media and government.

Communications

Environmental and regional issues

Peter Loxton has had a strong interest and involvement in environmental and regional issues throughout his life. He grew up on a farm in Brisbane, regularly stayed on larger family properties and learned from his father about the importance of primary production working in sympathy with the environment. This was a strong theme and personal commitment which continued through his work over a decade with the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and later through his role as a Rural Reporter in radio and television with the ABC.

After living and working in rural and regional centres in two States and the Northern Territory, Peter has maintained his awareness of the issues facing people living outside the major cities and his commitment to equity of access to services.

He has also maintained a strong interest in the importance of valuing our land, water and native vegetation, and maintaining a balance between regional development and sustainability of the environment.

Peter has had senior management responsibility for broadcasting and coordinated government service delivery for regional citizens in different areas throughout Australia for most of his 25 years as an executive.

He has needed to maintain a clear awareness of the issues that interest and concern people living in regional, rural and remote areas. This interest and knowledge was recognised again recently when he was asked to provide the secretariat for the Rural and Regional Taskforce reporting to the Premier on priority issues for people in the regions.

The former Premier of NSW indicated that one of the areas of greatest success and achievement for his Government was the ground-breaking collaborative work of the Premier’s Department’s Regional Coordination Program, for which Peter had responsibility for most of existence.

Peter has led the management of a large number of complex land and water-based environmental issues over the past decade ranging from acid sulphate soils, to oyster contamination, clean air transport strategies, and the remediation of BHP lands around Newcastle.

He has represented Premier’s for several years on the Environment and Natural Resources CEOs Cluster Group where high-level coordinated policies and strategies were developed.

Peter recognises the importance to genuine quality of life of achieving and maintaining a balance between regional economic development and environmental sustainability.

Regions

Indigenous issues: improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Peter has had almost a lifetime of commitment to listening to and working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to do whatever is possible to improve their prospects for a better, more fulfilled life.

At an early age he saw the natural talent and skills of Aboriginal stockmen, recognised their creative talents and workmanship working with wood, clay and rock, and began to appreciate their depth of understanding of the natural environment, including land, water, fire, wildlife and natural vegetation.

Later, especially in the Northern Territory, he had life-changing experiences by directly witnessing and responding to violent racism. This reinforced his intellectual commitment to working towards change.

Throughout his working life, Peter has worked closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as members of communities, management colleagues and as staff. He actively supported and promoted broadcast training in communities, broadcast traineeships, new radio information and cultural programs, employment initiatives, training and jobs, management, sharing decision-making, cadetships, and taking on the mainstream.

He has sought communication, backed by mutual respect and trust.

There is a very, very long way to go, but we want to be actively involved in the journey.

Indigenous