Media release

Phil na Champassak appointed Tasmanian campaign director for United Australia Party

Federal Leader of the United Australia Party, Clive Palmer, has announced the appointment of tourism executive and highly-experienced management professional with the federal government, Phil na Champassak as the party’s Tasmanian campaign director.

Currently owner of a boutique hotel and a property developer in Penguin, Phil has been actively engaged in community work in northwest Tasmania. He once held directorship to the board of the Cradle Coast Tourism Executive and is a founding director of Switch Tasmania, formerly known as the Cradle Coast Innovation Inc.

Formerly a diplomat and DFAT policy analyst, Phil has worked on trade, aid, public diplomacy, consular, international security and bilateral relations with PNG, the US, and NZ, and was most recently DFAT State Director for Tasmania.

He has previously worked for the UN Development Programme in New York, West Africa and PNG.

Phil also served as election monitor to the first elections in Cambodia (1992) and South Africa (1994) and was a peace monitor in Bougainville (2002). He has contributed to publications on human rights, election monitoring and UN issues.

He was awarded the Australian Service Medal (Bougainville) in June 2003.

Phil is very much looking forward to his role as the UAP’s campaign manager for Tasmania, saying more and more Australians were turning to independents and the smaller parties as a way of showing their dissatisfaction with the two-party duopoly.

He says unlike the Liberals or Labor, the UAP is not made up of professional politicians for life, but rather ordinary Australians wishing to do their civic duty and contribute to the welfare of the nation.

“The United Australia Party can provide a platform that the Liberals and ALP cannot. The way forward is to unite all Australians, not continue to divide them,’’ he said.

ENDS