The chair of Tourism Australia, Tim Fischer, has announced the appointment of Scott Morrison as the organisation’s new managing director.

Morrison previously established the New Zealand Office of Tourism and Sport and has also worked in Australia at the Tourism Task Force, Property Council of Australia, Tourism Council of Australia and KPMG Consulting in the tourism and leisure sector.

Most recently he was state director of the Liberal Party in New South Wales.

“The government has injected an additional A$235m (£99m, €141m, US$184m) into tourism, bringing total expenditure by the Australian government to more than A$600m (£253m, €360m, US$470m) over the four years to June 2008,” said Fischer.

“I am confident that Mr Morrison will focus on delivering very strong returns on this investment in the form of increased tourism numbers and revenues.”

Morrison will take up his new role on 13 December for a three-year term. He replaces interim managing director Ken Boundy, who has led the organisation since 1 July and oversaw its transition from Australian Tourist Commission to Tourism Australia.