❓ Mr. Graham questions the Minister's decision to appoint a non-local chair to the Port Hedland Port Authority, despite its strong performance under local leadership. The Minister defends the decision, citing the need for high-level corporate governance and strategic planning skills during a period of change.
AnsweredQoN 975Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a stable, locally controlled operation for more than 30 years. During that time it has increased its output from around eight million tonnes a year to around 80 million tonnes a year. It has accommodated the increased diversity of product through the port; lowered the unit cost to its producers using the port; significantly increased its annual return to the Government; increased live cattle exports and complied with every requirement and statutory obligation placed on it by every level of government. It has also kept abreast with world’s best practice and is the second biggest port in the nation. It has had no financial scandals over its 30-year life. It provides good, local employment and has made a significant contribution to the community of Port Hedland. Given that track record over many years with local people from Port Hedland filling the key positions on the board, why is the minister the first minister in the State’s history who cannot find a local person to chair the board? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Pilbara very much for that question. I can assure the member that my priority is to ensure that the best people are employed to manage the ports. Mr M.W. Trenorden: People with no knowledge of the Pilbara. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Why say that? Mr M.W. Trenorden: That is what you are doing throughout the State. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: I thank the member for Pilbara very much for that question. I can assure the member that my priority is to ensure that the best people are employed to manage the ports. Mr M.W. Trenorden: People with no knowledge of the Pilbara. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Why say that? Mr M.W. Trenorden: That is what you are doing throughout the State. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
I thank the member for Pilbara very much for that question. I can assure the member that my priority is to ensure that the best people are employed to manage the ports. Mr M.W. Trenorden: People with no knowledge of the Pilbara. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Why say that? Mr M.W. Trenorden: That is what you are doing throughout the State. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Mr M.W. Trenorden: People with no knowledge of the Pilbara. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Why say that? Mr M.W. Trenorden: That is what you are doing throughout the State. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Why say that? Mr M.W. Trenorden: That is what you are doing throughout the State. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Mr M.W. Trenorden: That is what you are doing throughout the State. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: I thank the member for Pilbara very much for that question. I can assure the member that my priority is to ensure that the best people are employed to manage the ports. Mr M.W. Trenorden: People with no knowledge of the Pilbara. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Why say that? Mr M.W. Trenorden: That is what you are doing throughout the State. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
I thank the member for Pilbara very much for that question. I can assure the member that my priority is to ensure that the best people are employed to manage the ports. Mr M.W. Trenorden: People with no knowledge of the Pilbara. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Why say that? Mr M.W. Trenorden: That is what you are doing throughout the State. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Mr M.W. Trenorden: People with no knowledge of the Pilbara. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Why say that? Mr M.W. Trenorden: That is what you are doing throughout the State. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Why say that? Mr M.W. Trenorden: That is what you are doing throughout the State. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Mr M.W. Trenorden: That is what you are doing throughout the State. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Is the member saying the Government is employing people with no knowledge of the Pilbara? Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Mr M.W. Trenorden: Look at the chairpersons you are putting on boards. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love a comprehensive debate on this issue. It is true that this Government considers these regional ports to be important economic drivers for the State. Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Mr M.W. Trenorden interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the National Party. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The Government acknowledges that it has not taken membership of the National Party as a prerequisite for appointment to a board. That is perhaps a departure from previous practices. The Government is considering very carefully the skill sets available in the community to ensure that the highest standard of management possible is provided for these ports. We want people who are capable of offering a very high level of corporate governance and, equally importantly, a very high level of strategic planning. In some areas, this may have been lacking in the past. Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
Not everyone on the Port Hedland Port Authority Board is a resident of Port Hedland, and that has been the situation for quite some time. However, the Government is contemplating some change. The Port Hedland Port Authority has been a very competent and capable authority and has delivered all the positive benefits outlined by the member for Pilbara. However, it is undergoing a period of change. A port that has basically had one major client, which is very well represented on the board, is now going through a period of considerable change in which more clients are seeking to come on board and the complexity of the issues will become much greater. Port Hedland and the associated industrial areas will have to put up their hand - I hate to say this, Mr Speaker - to compete effectively with your port authority, for example, in attracting some of that business into Port Hedland. I can assure the member for Pilbara, whose advice I have sought and followed on several occasions on appointments to the port authority, that he will not be disappointed with the appointment proposed for Port Hedland. Indeed, I anticipate that the board members of the Port Hedland Port Authority, as have the board members in Geraldton, Broome and Dampier, will very much appreciate the very high level of skill that their new chair will bring to its board.
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