Kym Winter-Dewhirst

Last updated

Kym Winter-Dewhirst was a senior South Australian public servant, former mining industry professional and political lobbyist. He was appointed to the role of Chief Executive Department of the Premier & Cabinet in the Government of South Australia in January 2015, [1] where he became the highest paid public sector employee in South Australia's history. He was previously employed as Vice-President of Coal at BHP Billiton, and had worked extensively on the Olympic Dam mine expansion project as an employee of Western Mining Corporation prior to 2005 and BHP Billiton thereafter.

Contents

Early career

Winter-Dewhirst studied politics at Flinders University and journalism at the University of South Australia. [2] Also a musician and songwriter, his band, Kym Winter-Dewhirst and the Love Muscles, released an album called Dirty World in 1994. [3] He established the firm Winter-Dewhirst & Associates in 1996 and worked as a political lobbyist until 2002. [2] Between 2002 and 2004, he was the Chief of Staff to the Government of South Australia's Environment Minister, John Hill. [4]

Career

Olympic Dam mine

Kym Winter-Dewhirst speaks for BHP Billiton following the Olympic Dam approval court challenge 2012 Kym Winter-Dewhirst speaks for BHP Billiton following the Olympic Dam approval court challenge 2012.jpg
Kym Winter-Dewhirst speaks for BHP Billiton following the Olympic Dam approval court challenge 2012

Kym Winter-Dewhirst has had a long professional association with the Olympic Dam copper, gold and uranium mine near Roxby Downs in South Australia. Prior to BHP Billiton's acquisition of Western Mining Corporation and its assets in 2005 (which included the Olympic Dam mine), Winter-Dewhirst worked for WMC as manager of government relations. [2] Under BHP Billiton's ownership, his senior executive positions related to the mine have included Vice-President External Affairs – Uranium Customer Sector Group and Vice-President Government and Community Relations Olympic Dam. [2] He has worked as part of the company's environmental regulatory approvals team with a focus on the Olympic Dam environmental impact study (EIS) and the revision of the Roxby Downs (Indenture Ratification) Act 1982. [5] [6]

In 2012, following the dismissal of Arabunna elder Kevin Buzzacott's legal challenge of the Olympic Dam mine expansion's environmental approval, Winter-Dewhirst told the ABC that the company had always been confident and welcomed the result. [7] Despite economic circumstances placing the expansion project on hold, Winter-Dewhirst believes it is not a matter of "if" but "when" it will proceed. [5]

In his role as Vice-President External Affairs he briefed the Minister of BHP Billiton's intention to undertake heap leaching mineral processing trials at Olympic Dam. [8] Federal environmental approval was granted for trials to proceed on 29 August 2014. [9] On 5 September it was announced that Kym Winter-Dewhirst would be appointed to Chief executive of the Department of Premier and Cabinet and that he would assume the role in early 2015. [1]

Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Chief executive

In January 2015 Winter-Dewhirst was responsible for the sacking of 11 executives within the Department of Premier and Cabinet. [10] Critics felt the process was unnecessarily brutal, with at least one marched from the building "like a criminal about to confront the gallows". Winter-Dewhirst told staff that a new Executive Committee (ExCo) would meet in February "with a focus on business planning, delivery measurement and reporting, as well as embedding our values." [11] The message was delivered via email. [12] Premier Jay Weatherill referred to Winter-Dewhirst's restructuring as helping to create an "engine room of policy" stating that "it was his decision, not my decision, but I fully support it." [13]

Winter-Dewhirst's annual salary of $550,000 has attracted criticism by political commentators. His predecessor Jim Hallion received $425,000. [14]

In 2016 Winter-Dewhirst told in Daily "I always felt that in this job time is my enemy… And so I decided I would make some significant changes and I would start at the top, and I would create opportunities for others to step up and seize a new agenda." He also stated that he views the department as a "business", the focus of which is now "delivery and implementation". [15]

He stepped down in early 2017 to care for his ill wife, with Don Russell taking his place. [16]

Other appointments

Prior to his appointment as BHP Billiton's Vice-President Coal, Winter-Dewhirst held a number of senior positions within the company, including Vice-President Group Public Affairs and Principal Adviser Government and Community Relations – Base Metals Australia. Winter-Dewhirst was also the Minerals Council of Australia's appointed representative on the Lake Eyre Basin Agreement's Community Advisory Committee. [17] He has also held a position on the board of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. [18]

Personal life

Kym Winter-Dewhirst was born in Adelaide. He was married in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens in 1983. [18] He lived in Brisbane while acting as BHP Billiton's Vice-President of Coal. [6]

In early 2017 he stepped down from his role as CEO of DPC, in order to care for his ill wife. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BHP</span> Australian multinational mining and petroleum company

BHP Group Limited is an Australian multinational mining and metals public company headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxby Downs, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Roxby Downs is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia about 511 kilometres (318 mi) north of the state capital of Adelaide. The town has a highly transient population of around 4,000 people.

Olympic Dam Airport is an airport that serves the Olympic Dam mine in South Australia. There have been planned expansions for the airport starting in 2006 and ongoing in 2011. Alliance Airlines operate a public transport service between Olympic Dam and Adelaide.

Arts South Australia was responsible for managing the South Australian Government's funding for the arts and cultural heritage from about 1996 until late 2018, when it was progressively dismantled, a process complete by early 2019. Most of its functions were taken over by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) under Premier Steven Marshall, while some went to the Department for Education and others to the Department for Innovation and Skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Buzzacott</span>

Kevin Buzzacott, often referred to as Uncle Kev, was an Aboriginal Australian rights campaigner and elder of the Arabunna nation in northern South Australia. He campaigned widely for cultural recognition, justice, and land rights for Aboriginal people. He initiated and led numerous campaigns, including against uranium mining at Olympic Dam mine on Kokatha land and the exploitation of the water from the Great Artesian Basin. He also published a collections of poetry, which included the content of his keynote address at a 1998 conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Bonython</span> Suburb of City of Whyalla, South Australia

Port Bonython is the location of a deepwater port, gas fractionation plant and diesel storage facility west of Point Lowly in the Upper Spencer Gulf region of South Australia. It lies 16 km east-northeast of Whyalla, South Australia and approximately 370 km north-west of the State's capital city, Adelaide. The existing wharf is 2.4 kilometres long and is capable of berthing small Capesize ships with a maximum capacity of 110,000 tonnes. The wharf was established in 1982 and named after John Bonython, the founding chairman of Santos. The structure is leased to Santos by the Government of South Australia and is used for the export of hydrocarbon products. An oil spill at Port Bonython in 1992 resulted in loss of bird life and damage to mangrove habitats to the west and southwest of Port Pirie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uranium mining in Australia</span> Mining in Australia

Radioactive ores were first extracted in South Australia at Radium Hill in 1906 and Mount Painter in 1911. 2,000 tons of ore were treated to recover radium for medical use. Several hundred kilograms of uranium were also produced for use in ceramic glazes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic Dam mine</span> Poly-metallic underground mine in South Australia

The Olympic Dam mine is a large poly-metallic underground mine located in South Australia, 550 km (340 mi) NNW of Adelaide. It is the fourth largest copper deposit and the largest known single deposit of uranium in the world. Copper is the largest contributor to total revenue, accounting for approximately 70% of the mine's revenue, with the remaining 25% from uranium, and around 5% from silver and gold. BHP has owned and operated the mine since 2005. The mine was previously owned by Western Mining Corporation. Since the 1970s environmentalists, traditional owners and others have campaigned against the mine, largely on the basis of its contribution to the nuclear cycle and its use of underground water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Heithersay</span>

Paul Sinclair Heithersay is a public servant employed by the Government of South Australia. He is the chief executive of the Department for Energy and Mining. He was appointed to this role by the then recently elected Liberal government in June 2018.

The Resources Infrastructure & Investment Task Force, formerly the Olympic Dam Task Force, was formed by the Government of South Australia to assist with the facilitation of the expansion of BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam copper, gold and uranium mine near Roxby Downs in the state's Far North region. By 2016, its scope had broadened to include facilitating and supporting several other major resources projects in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy</span>

The South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy (SACOME) is a not-for-profit, non-government organisation founded in 1979. It represents approximately 130 companies involved in resource extraction and supporting service industries in South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andamooka Station</span>

Andamooka Station is a pastoral lease that once operated as a sheep station but now operates as a cattle station in outback South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Creek Station</span> Pastoral lease in South Australia

Stuart Creek Station is a pastoral lease that once operated as a sheep station. It now operates as a cattle station in outback South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronwyn Gillanders</span> Marine scientist

Bronwyn May Gillanders is a marine scientist whose research spans freshwater, estuarine and marine waters while focusing on fish and fisheries ecology. Her studies of the Giant Australian cuttlefish of Northern Spencer Gulf in South Australia revealed the species' sensitivity to increases in salinity; a controversial aspect of the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the expansion of BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam mine. Gillanders' discovery was published in the scientific journal Marine Environmental Research and prompted environmental activists to call for the relocation of the project's proposed seawater desalination plant at Point Lowly, due to its proximity to the only mass breeding area for the animals' genetically distinct population. Gillanders commenced work at the University of Adelaide in 2001, received a tenurable position in 2007 and was appointed professor in 2010. She is the Director of the Marine Biology program at the university's Environment Institute.

UCL Australia was an international campus of the University College London, located on Victoria Square in Adelaide, South Australia. It had three parts: the School of Energy and Resources (SERAus), the International Energy Policy Institute (IEPI) and a branch of UCL's Mullard Space Science Laboratory. UCL Australia described its university community as "welcoming, dynamic and influential." The campus closed in December 2017.

Richard Yeeles in an English-born Australian businessman and former senior South Australian public servant with interests in the resources sector, particularly uranium mining and processing.

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) is a department of the Government of South Australia. It is the main agency supporting the Premier and Cabinet by developing policy and delivering their programs, and also carries the arts portfolio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariana dam disaster</span> 2015 environmental disaster near Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The Mariana dam disaster, also known as the Bento Rodrigues or Samarco dam disaster, occurred on 5 November 2015, when the Fundão tailings dam at the Germano iron ore mine of the Samarco Mariana Mining Complex near Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil, suffered a catastrophic failure, resulting in flooding that devastated the downstream villages of Bento Rodrigues and Paracatu de Baixo, killing 19 people. The extent of the damage caused by the tailings dam collapse is the largest ever recorded with pollutants spread along 668 kilometres (415 mi) of watercourses.

Pamela Martin is a South Australian lawyer, Deputy Chancellor of the University of Adelaide and a senior civil servant of the Government of South Australia. She is the Director of Commercial Advice in South Australia's Department of the Premier and Cabinet and was awarded a Public Service Medal "for outstanding public service in the provision of legal and commercial advice on major projects" in 2014.

The nuclear industry in South Australia is focused on uranium mining, milling and the export of uranium oxide concentrate for use in the production of nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants. The state is home to the world's largest known single deposit of uranium, which is worked by BHP at the Olympic Dam mine.

References

  1. 1 2 England, Cameron (5 September 2014). "Former BHP Billiton chief spin doctor Kim Winter-Dewhirst appointed Department of Premier and Cabinet chief executive". Adelaide Advertiser . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Kym Winter-Dewhirst". LinkedIn . Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "Dirty world / Kym Winter-Dewhirst and the Love Muscles. [sound recording] /". Trove. National Library of Australia. 1994. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "BHP mining executive becomes SA's top bureaucrat". The Mandarin. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  5. 1 2 Dean, Daniella (6 September 2012). "No new information from BHP Billiton". Whyalla News . Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Chief Executive – dpc.sa.gov.au". dpc.sa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Nightingale, Tom (20 April 2012). "Court throws out Olympic Dam challenge". PM . Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  8. ↑ Russell, Christopher (26 September 2012). "BHP Billiton promise puts SA government in hot seat". The Australian .
  9. ↑ "BHP: Olympic Dam heap leach trial, South Australia (2014/7280)" (PDF). Department of the Environment. Australian Government. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  10. ↑ Wills, Daniel (30 January 2015). "Department of Premier and Cabinet chief Kym Winter-Dewhirst axes 11 senior executives". The Advertiser. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  11. ↑ Donaldson, David (30 January 2015). "Restructure at SA Premier and Cabinet executives 11 execs sacked". The Mandarin. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  12. ↑ "Message from the Chief Executive" (PDF). 29 January 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  13. ↑ Siebert, Bension (30 January 2015). "Adelaide health chief resigns". InDaily . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  14. ↑ Richardson, Tom (20 February 2015). "Richardson: a muscled up paycheque isn't reform". InDaily. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "Kym Winter-Dewhirst: The man with the plan, but no office – InDaily". InDaily. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  16. 1 2 Donaldson, David (6 February 2017). "Don Russell takes top SA public sector job". The Mandarin. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  17. ↑ "Community Advisory Committee members > Kym Winter-Dewhirst". Lake Eyre Basin Agreement. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
  18. 1 2 "My Gardens: Kym Winter-Dewhirst, BHP Billiton". Adelaide Botanic Gardens Foundation Inc. 2 March 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.