APY executive board to be suspended as SA government steps in to oversee lands

The South Australian government will suspend the APY Executive Board for three months and appoint an administrator after a review found problems with the general manager’s recruitment.

Richard King, APY Lands general manager, will step down as the SA Government appoints an administrator to oversee the board amid governance concerns.

The South Australian government will suspend the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Executive Board for three months and appoint an administrator to oversee operations on the APY Lands, following concerns over governance and the reappointment of the board’s general manager.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher said the decision follows a report by a conciliator appointed under the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Land Rights Act 1981, which reviewed the board’s 18-month process to recruit a new general manager.

“The report found that the board wasn’t provided with all the information needed to make an informed decision,” Maher said.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher announced the suspension of the APY Executive Board and the appointment of an administrator to oversee the Lands’ governance. Source: Supplied

“The current general manager put himself forward and was reappointed. A line in the sand needs to be drawn.”

The conciliator’s report raised questions about whether the reappointment process was constitutionally valid and noted that a recruitment process that had cost more than $30,000, and narrowed down to two preferred candidates, was not properly presented to the board.

During the three-month administration period, the appointed administrator will take over the functions of the board and make the final decision on appointing a new general manager, with input from the elected board.

The administrator is expected to be in place from 3 September 2025.

Richard King, who has served as APY Lands general manager since 2015, has announced he will step down.

In a statement, King said he would return to Adelaide to be closer to family but expressed pride in his work supporting Aṉangu communities over the past 12 years.

“The position requires strong leadership, resilience, and the highest level of cultural competence,” he said, encouraging staff and stakeholders to cooperate with the administrator to ensure a smooth transition.

The APY Lands cover more than 100,000 square kilometres in South Australia’s remote northwest, encompassing multiple First Nations communities and homelands.

Minister Maher said the government’s priority is ensuring the administration of the APY Lands benefits all Aṉangu.

“This process will ensure proper governance and a fair, transparent approach to appointing a new general manager,” he said.