Aspinall re-elected to head Anglican Church of Australia

The Anglican Church of Australia has re-elected Dr Phillip Aspinall, Archbishop of Brisbane, as its leader for a second term.

Archbishop Aspinall was first elected Primate for a three-year term in 2005. His second term was agreed in a meeting of the Church's Board of Electors in Sydney on Friday and will see him head up the Church for the next six years. A vote in the 2007 General Synod extended the term of office for a Primate from three to six years.

"To hold this position is an honour and while it comes with a great deal of responsibility it is a challenge I am pleased to accept for the next six years," he said in a statement.

Dr Aspinall pointed to the consecration of Australia's first two women bishops - suffragan bishops, the Rt Rev Barbara Darling of Melbourne and the Rt Rev Kay Goldsworthy of Perth - as a highlight of his first term.

"This issue was a challenging one for the Church but the bishops worked hard to come together to agree on a set of protocols for those who in all good faith still cannot accept ministry from a bishop who is a woman," he said.

Dr Aspinall acted as chief spokesperson for the Lambeth Conference, the once-in-a-decade meeting of Anglican bishops held in Canterbury over the summer.