Steve Whan named new National Irrigators Council CEO

Mr Whan will replace outgoing CEO Tom Chesson who announced in November he was leaving after five years at the helm of the peak irrigator representative body to work at the new National Carp Control Plan.

NIC Chairman Gavin McMahon said Mr Whan would bring a “breadth of experience” in the area of government, policy and advocacy, to the NIC.

Mr McMahon said the new CEO’s 12 years of service in NSW parliament, including periods as Minister for Primary Industry, Emergency Services and Rural Affairs, and Opposition spokesperson for Rural Water, including balancing the needs of a very marginal electorate, had equipped him with a wide range of skills.

He said those skills would be invaluable to the NIC as it negotiated critical policy outcomes in the area of water and energy.

Mr Whan’s more recent experience managing Australian Chamber–Tourism furnishes him with the skills that come from operating on the other side of the government-advocacy desk, he said.

Mr McMahon said the new CEO would be joining the NIC at a critical time with 2017 being a key period for the finalisation of the Murray Darling Basin Plan’s implementation.

“It remains an absolute priority for NIC that the Basin Plan is finalised in a manner that does the least damage to irrigated agriculture in the Basin and irrigation dependent communities,” he said.

Mr McMahon said Mr Whan’s extensive government experience had also given him a broad understanding of the issues impacting on energy pricing in Australia, high on the list of critical issues for much of the NIC’s membership.

He also praised Mr Chesson saying his five years at NIC had seen the organisation “cement” its position as the leading national voice for irrigated agriculture in Australia.

“Tom’s time at NIC has been marked by a number of significant achievements including the legislating of the 1500Gl cap on water buybacks under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, and placing on the national agenda the extraordinary benefits that will accrue to our river system by releasing European Carp biological control agent,” he said.

The NIC said Mr Whan would commence formally his new post as CEO on January 24.

Victorian Nationals Gippsland South MP Danny O’Brien was NIC CEO from 2009 to 2011 and also a Chief of Staff to Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Barnaby Joyce from 2013 to 2014, before entering politics.

Mr McMahon said the new CEO interviewed exceptionally well and was “really balanced and empathetic”.

“A lot of people have a lot of positive things to say about him so we’re really looking forward to that being a good appointment for us,” he said.

He said six people were interviewed for the CEO’s role and just over 30 applicants received with the final decision on Mr Whan, “very difficult”.

“We had some really good candidates that we interviewed and all of them were very good so it was certainly a very difficult decision but we’re quite comfortable with the decision which was quite unanimous across the interview group,” he said.

Mr McMahon said the new CEO’s Labor background was one of the interview questions and he was confident the ex-politician had the capacity and skills to advocate irrigators’ interests, across various political divides.

“I think to be honest the person that we need has to be able to talk on all sides of politics,” he said.

“If you look around the Basin States we’ve got a mixture of Labor and Liberal governments.

“And federally, you’ve also got a mix of independents with significant influence in the Upper House so whoever actually represents us has to be able to walk across all political divides.

“I’m quite comfortable Steve can do that and the really good thing about somebody coming out of politics is that they do understand the political process and that’s a great bonus as well.

“They know what politicians are looking for when you try and talk to them and how time precious they are and they also understand what the political life is really like.”

Mr McMahon said while Mr Whan served in state politics in NSW he expected the new CEO to have relationships “right through politics”, including with Federal Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Barnaby Joyce and his current shadow on water policy Tony Burke who was the Labor minister who oversaw the Basin Plan’s implementation.

“In the political house, both sides do talk to each other irrespective of what’s portrayed in the media and quite a number of them are able to work together pretty well,” Mr McMahon said.

Former Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) chair Craig Knowles was in the role when the Basin Plan was signed into law in 2012 under Mr Burke and represented Labor in the NSW parliament from 1990 to 2005.

Current MDBA Chair Neil Andrew replaced Mr Knowles after his four-year term expired in January 2015 and is a former SA Liberal MP and former speaker of the House of Representatives who represented the semi-rural seat of Wakefied from 1983 to 2004.