Robyn Kershaw, the producer of last year's award-winning film Looking For Alibrandi, will take up the role of head of drama at Australian national broadcaster ABC from July 2.

Changes to ABC staffing, programming and operations have been the source of some controversy over the past year, with managing director Jonathan Sheir drawing the majority of the flak. But Sandra Levy's recent promotion to director of television and this latest appointment are helping to allay some fears over the lack of local drama production.

Kershaw began to produce for the screen in 1997 after she and Tristram Miall, producer of Baz Luhrmann's debut film Strictly Ballroom, formed an alliance with Beyond Films to develop features. She is now in post-production on the SBS television series Effie: Just Quietly and is a board member of the Australian Film Finance Corporation.