PILBARA PORTS AUTHORITY — CHAIRMAN —
RESIGNATION
128. Hon PETER COLLIER to
the Minister for Ports:
(1) Has any
member of the minister's ministerial staff had any discussions with the
chairman of the Pilbara Ports Authority requesting him to resign his position
as chairman; and, if yes, on what date?
(2) Has the minister had any discussions with the
chairman of the Pilbara Ports Authority with regard to his role as
chairman; and, if so, did she request that he resign his position as chairman;
and, if yes, on what date?
(3) If yes to (2), why was the
chairman asked to resign?
(4) If yes to (2), did the chairman
of the Pilbara Ports Authority tender his resignation?
(5) If yes to (1)
or (2), did the minister have any conversations with the chairman of the
Pilbara Ports Authority requesting that he withdraw his resignation; and, if
yes, on what date?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question.
(1)–(5) Approximately
two weeks ago, I had a discussion with the chairman of the Pilbara Ports
Authority following advice from a senior public servant that the chairman had
been inquiring about his future. In that discussion, I raised my desire to
bolster the level of commercial and operational experience on the board, given
the number of significant commercial proposals under consideration in the
Pilbara. Mr Pettit indicated an interest in other government board
opportunities, and I undertook to investigate those opportunities. My chief of
staff had a subsequent discussion with Mr Pettit about those options and a time
frame that might mutually suit him to finish his task at the port. It was not
something I was seeking to progress immediately. On 11 March 2019, Mr Pettit
provided my office with a letter of resignation effective from 15 March 2019.
I have known Mr Pettit for a long
time and I have a great deal of respect for him personally and professionally.
Mr Pettit has served the Pilbara Ports Authority and the former Port Hedland
port authority well for the past eight years, and I thank him for his service.