Sydney Opera House chief to run South Bank

An Aussie who lives in Sydney and who twice worked on Crocodile Dundee movies has been appointed to one of the most prestigious and powerful positions in the British art world.

No, it isn't a wicked storyline dreamt up by Barry Humphries to terrify Britain's luvvies. This is for real, but don't panic. The new boss at the South Bank Centre in London isn't Sir Les Patterson, Humphries' fictitious and disgusting Australian cultural attaché, it is Michael Lynch, 51, the chief executive of the Sydney Opera House.

Mr Lynch's appointment was announced yesterday to the delight of the London art establishment and the disappointment of its counterpart in Sydney. During four years in charge of the Opera House, he is regarded as having made art, not just opera, more accessible and popular among Australians and visitors to the city.

After decades of European snobbishness about Australia's reputation as a cultural wasteland – undeserved in recent years – the appointment of an Australian to run the Royal Festival Hall, the Hayward Gallery and a large swath of adjacent land soon to be developed was not lost on Mr Lynch.

"It is great for an Australian to come here on equal terms and be asked to do a job of work at one of the world's great art institutions," he said. "It is a great compliment to the vibrant nature of the Australian art scene. It is a tribute, too, to the Sydney Opera House and the people who work there. If I hadn't been there for four years, I wouldn't have been offered this job."

Asked whether he foresaw any difficulties from the "Poms", he said: "You seem to have embraced your Swedish football manager with great magnanimity, so, as an ageing, balding foreigner, I hope you'll embrace me too. So long as I'm not labelled the next Les Patterson, I'm sure I'll be fine."

Lord Hollick, the chairman of the South Bank Centre, said candidates were considered from Britain and all over the world, but none impressed as much as Mr Lynch. "He is the man for the job," said Lord Hollick. "He has a formidable international reputation in arts administration, as an inspired leader of Australia's national arts centre, the Sydney Opera House and, previously, a much-respected head of the Australia Council, the Australian equivalent of the Arts Council."

Mr Lynch went to school in Britain in 1964 and 1965 when his father worked here. He went on to Sydney University and established Australia's leading casting consultancy, which ran the casting for two Crocodile Dundee movies and a Kylie Minogue film.

There is no doubt Mr Lynch's countrymen will view his appointment as a victory over the British. As it was being announced at the Royal Festival Hall, a reporter from The Australian asked: "Considering this country's abysmal history of staging major events, building stadiums and investing in disasters like the Dome, are you sure you want the job?"

Mr Lynch, declaring that the difficulties made the job more of a challenge, said: "Still, I think we were better to spend our millennium money on a big party."

He said he hoped to bring more of the best in Australian art to Britain but had no immediate plans for changes. His biggest challenge is to oversee a three-year redevelopment of the 27-acre South Bank site.

Mr Lynch's wife, Chrissy Sharp, is the general manager of the Sydney Festival, Australia's premier arts event, but is leaving to join him next year. Brett Sheehy, the festival director, said: "This is a double blow for Australia. [Michael] has a fierce intellect and such immense energy and vigour but he is devoid of pomposity.

"During his time at the Sydney Opera House, he made it so much more accessible to the people of Sydney, without dumbing down, and they thanked him by coming in droves. There is no doubt in my mind, your gain is our loss."