The Berejiklian government has made changes to the leadership at the very top of the department responsible for water policy following scandals over the administration of water in New South Wales.
The government announced on the weekend that the head of the Department of Industry, Simon Smith, would leave to be replaced by Simon Draper, as of Monday.
The department, which reports to the National party minister, Niall Blair, is responsible for the portfolios of primary industries and water, as well as industry policy.
The change at the top follows a torrid eight months for Blair and his bureaucrats, after ABC’s Four Corners revealed allegations of water theft in the Barwon-Darling river system. The program also aired a recording that appeared to show the top water bureaucrat, Gavin Hanlon, offering irrigators departmental information and special briefings.
The government immediately ordered an inquiry by the former federal bureaucrat Ken Matthews, who issued a stinging report last year that was highly critical of the NSW government’s record on enforcing the state’s water laws.
Several aspects were also referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption, which is understood to be investigating people in the department, including Hanlon, as well as several former water ministers.
Hanlon has left the department as have at least two other senior bureaucrats in the water portfolio.
The NSW ombudsman also released a highly critical report about the department’s handling of complaints about breaches of the state’s water laws. Last week the ombudsman was forced to issue a supplementary report after it discovered WaterNSW had provided it with inaccurate and inflated figures on its performance in prosecuting breaches in the last 15 months.
Blair, who had also relied on the information to make statements in parliament, was also forced to correct the parliamentary record.
However, he has come under fire because he waited 22 days, which was after a crucial vote in federal parliament over changes to the Murray-Darling basin plan that proposed to reduce the target for recovery of environmental water in the Northern Basin by 70 gigalitres. The change was blocked by the opposition, Greens and minor parties but will return to the Senate for further consideration in May.
A further report from the ombudsman, due in June, is expected to be highly critical of the administration of the state’s water laws.
Draper was the deputy secretary of economic policy at the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
“Simon Draper’s extensive experience across the private sector in the energy and infrastructure fields, combined with his public policy roles, means he is well-placed to lead the Department of Industry’s ongoing contribution to the NSW government’s economic agenda,” Blair said.
“I look forward to working with Simon Draper and the leadership team of the Department of Industry to consolidate the work done by Simon Smith, and Mark Paterson before him, to ensure a strong economic future for everyone in NSW.”
Announcing Smith’s departure on Friday night, Blair said: “Simon has been a key adviser to me and my fellow cluster ministers and I thank him for his service over many years to the state.”
Smith is leaving the NSW public service after 24 years. He said he was going to “a new phase of service”.
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