In 2003, Brunton was appointed to the ABC Board by the government of John Howard.[4] That created controversy over the balance of political ideologies represented among board members.[5] Then shadow minister Lindsay Tanner described Brunton as an "ideological zealot" with "no background in public broadcasting", whose appointment was a "disgrace".[4]
Brunton has published a range of research papers and books on anthropological matters, and has lectured in anthropology at universities in Australia and at the University of Papua New Guinea. He has also appeared as an expert witness in a number of native title court cases across Australia, having been engaged by parties involved in native title litigation.
^ abBrunton, Ron (Ronald) (1989), The abandoned narcotic : kava and cultural instability in Melanesia, Cambridge University Press, ISBN978-0-521-37375-3