Anglican Communion News Service

The Most Rev Phillip Aspinall

Photo Credit: Brisbane Diocese

The Most Rev Phillip Aspinall, Archbishop of Brisbane was elected Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia by the Board of Electors of the Primate which comprises diocesan bishops, and representative clergy and lay members of the General Synod. He will hold office until the next General Synod to be held in 2007.

Archishop Aspinall was consecrated Bishop in 1998, when he went to serve as Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Adelaide. He was elected Archbishop of Brisbane in 2001.

Born in Hobart on 17 December 1959, he began his working life as a computer programmer for the Tasmanian Education Department on a project to develop the use of micro-computers to improve numeracy and literacy.

From 1980 to 1984 he worked with young people in the Diocese of Tasmania as diocesan field officer for the Anglican Boys' Society, and then as the diocesan youth and education officer. During that time he was also the deputy warden at Christ College in the University of Tasmania. In 1985 Phillip moved to the Diocese of Melbourne where he worked as the director of parish education at St Stephen's Anglican Church, Mt Waverley.

He was ordained deacon in Tasmania on 25 July 1988 and priest a year later. He served as assistant curate at St Mark-on-the-Hill in Launceston and then as assistant priest in Brighton, Hobart. In 1991 he was appointed priest to the Bridgewater-Gagebrook Special Area of Ministry, a large public housing estate on the northern outskirts of Hobart. During these four years he trained people at the local Skillshare in basic computer courses and also taught Christian Education Theory and Practice at the Hobart College of Technical and Further Education.

In 1994 he was appointed Director of Anglicare Tasmania. In the last two years of that appointment he also assumed the role of Archdeacon for Church and Society and was responsible for the oversight of all chaplains and Anglican caring organizations.

He was consecrated bishop in Adelaide on 29 June 1998 where he served as Assistant Bishop until December 2001.

Dr Aspinall has contributed to the life of the National Church since his early involvement in youth work and Christian education, through community service work and as a member of the standing committee of General Synod since 1995.