In this role, I led a multi-disciplinary unit and ensured that it delivered on its Cabinet endorsed functions. These included: providing better coordination of natural resource management efforts on a whole of Government basis, managing delivery of State and Commonwealth NRM program funding and servicing the existing and future needs of community-based NRM groups. As Director, I reported to the WA NRM Ministerial Council comprising at times up to seven Ministers and ensured the Ministerial Council’s decisions were implemented. My key achievements in this role included:• Effective leadership of a multi-disciplinary team whose performance and capabilities are widely recognised and commended by stakeholders at all levels.• Commonwealth Government acknowledgement of the continued high standard of program administration by the State NRM Office. During my tenure, the Office successfully managed and acquitted over $850 million of NRM funding for hundreds of projects.• Development and implementation of business processes for the $100 million State NRM Program. This also involved the development of a business plan for the Program in liaison with ministerial offices.• Participation in the negotiating processes between the State and Commonwealth Governments for new national NRM programs and successful implementation of the new arrangements.• Participation in the development of a State framework that will guide and provide direction for NRM activities across the State to maximise NRM benefits for Western Australia for the first time. The framework includes arrangements for investment planning and assessment, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting.• Enhancement of the governance framework for the State’s six Regional NRM groups who are independent of government. These arrangements were acknowledged by the Office of the Auditor General. • Maintenance of personal credibility with key stakeholders during a period of significant change.

During this period I was the Manager of the NRM Programs branch of the State NRM Office. My main responsibilities were: to lead and direct the activities of the NRM Programs branch of the State NRM Office; develop and manage program coordination and business processes for the delivery of the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP), and other NRM programs as required, in Western Australia and to ensure that State commitments under the NHT and NAP were met and required outcomes delivered. This position reported to the Executive Director of the State NRM Office. My key achievements in this role included:• The successful development and implementation of business processes for the delivery of NHT, NAP and other NRM program funding totalling up to $110 million per year. These processes satisfied Department of Treasury and Finance and Auditor General (State and national) requirements.• The establishment and maintenance of effective collaborative arrangements and relationships with and between Commonwealth, State, regional and local stakeholders. My key role in this area is widely recognised.• The successful implementation of arrangements that will lead to more strategic NRM outcomes being achieved and communities being better empowered to determine and deliver those outcomes. These arrangements resulted in the successful accreditation of six regional NRM strategies that identified and prioritised NRM issues across the whole State for the first time.• The establishment of arrangements that ensure improved governance and accountability of the six Regional NRM groups recognised in this State.

During this period, I was the Manager of the WA Landcare Trust project within Agriculture WA’s Sustainable Rural Development Program. This project administered grant funding totalling some $35 million per annum from the Commonwealth Government’s Natural Heritage Trust (NHT), the State Government’s Landcare Program and the WA Landcare Trust. The project also encompassed managing the function of the Western Australian Coordinator for the National Landcare Program and the NHT Training Unit. The position reported to the Executive Director of the Sustainable Rural Development Program. As State Coordinator for the NHT, I also reported to the Senior Officers Group for the major Western Australian Natural Resource Management agencies and had close liaison with the offices of three State Ministers and the Deputy Premier.My major achievements in this project were:• The successful implementation of a community-based assessment process for 10 programs under the NHT involving 10 technical panels, six regional panels and a State panel.• The effective coordination of administrative functions and processes for the NHT across five State Government and two Commonwealth Government departments.• The successful negotiation of NHT funding of over $30 million per annum for Western Australia and the efficient delivery of this funding to around 400 projects per annum.• The reduction of outstanding project acquittals from $24 million to $3 million.• The clearance of a 1000 application backlog with the State Landcare Program. • The development and successful establishment of the WA Landcare Trust to seek sponsorship from the commercial sector for landcare projects.

I was Manager of the Farm Business Development project within Agriculture WA’s Sustainable Rural Development Program during the above period. This project encompassed the operations of the Rural Adjustment and Finance Corporation (RAFCOR), following its integration into Agriculture WA as a result of the Hussey Review into the agricultural portfolios, as well as the Better Business farmer training program and the Rural Counselling Service. In this role I was primarily responsible for: • integrating RAFCOR’s continuing activities into Agriculture WA’s new structural and operating framework;• helping RAFCOR Board members determine and implement the future direction for the Corporation;• administering RAFCOR’s grant program totalling some $6 million per annum and managing the ongoing divestment of RAFCOR’s loan portfolio; and• integrating RAFCOR’s farmer training activities with Agriculture WA’s Property Management Planning program which had been dormant for several years. This program was launched as Better Business and coordinated the major farmer training programs within Agriculture WA. Mid-way through this period, I was also appointed Group Manager for the Rural Adjustment Group with the prime responsibility for managing the professional and personal development of the Group’s human resources totalling some 23 staff. During this period, I was also instrumental in developing the Rural Adjustment component of the South Coast Regional Initiative. This was a continuation of work commenced during my previous Regional Rural Officer role with RAFCOR.

During this period, I worked in various positions with increasing responsibilities culminating in the position of Regional Rural Officer for the Great Southern/South Coast agricultural region and Goldfields/Nullarbor pastoral region. This position primarily provided the interface between RAFCOR and its clients and reported to RAFCOR’s Board and Executive on rural policy and program administration matters. In my role as Regional Rural Officer, I:• provided advice on farm business management to clients;• evaluated and reported on the personal abilities and business performance of individual clients including the identification of problems within an individual’s business;• provided subsequent help in providing remedial strategies and determining appropriate assistance measures for clients; • negotiated financial security arrangements between the client and their other financiers with regard to RAFCOR assistance;• provided advice to the RAFCOR Board and Executive on critical production and farm business management factors/trends;• identified and reported emerging assistance requirements within both my regions; and• represented RAFCOR at conferences and meetings, liaised with key stakeholders and promoted RAFCOR assistance measures, services and policies.My major achievements during this period were to improve the perception and credibility of RAFCOR among its clients and stakeholders and to help implement a new way of providing rural adjustment assistance to the rural community that focussed on addressing causes rather than symptoms.