Palaszczuk Government welcomes Queensland Rail board appointments

Treasurer Curtis Pitt has welcomed reappointments and new appointments to the board of the Queensland Rail.

Mr Pitt said the reappointment of QR chair Michael Klug and directors John Mickel and Paul Wallis, as well as the appointment of new directors Renaye Peters, Stephen Cantwell and Jemina Dunn for the next three years would ensure the ongoing delivery of crucial services for the benefit of all Queenslanders.

Minister for Transport, Stirling Hinchliffe, said the new directors all possessed demonstrated leadership experience and the ability to work with a broad range of stakeholders to provide strategic direction to large and complex organisations.

“I am confident we have found the most suitably qualified people with the skills and capabilities needed to guide the innovative and customer-focused Queensland Rail into the future,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

Michael Klug holds a Bachelor of Laws and has been admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia. As a Partner at Clayton Utz since 1976, he also brings extensive experience as a director for private companies, not-for-profits and in the educational sector.

John Mickel was a state MP from 1998 to 2012 and has extensive experience with the operations of government-owned corporations through his time as Minister for Transport, Minister for Trade, Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, Minister for State Development, Minister for Energy, and Minister for the Environment.

Paul Wallis is the Principal of Arup, a private company providing building engineering, infrastructure engineering, project management, sustainability consulting, planning and urban design services, and is a member of numerous prominent institutes and societies.

Renaye Peters brings more than 25 years of construction, infrastructure, property and mining industry experience, and has held numerous executive roles at Leighton Contractors, Brisbane Airport Corporation, Visionstream and Conrad Gargett.

Stephen Cantwell brings more than 10 years’ experience in senior management roles with rail and transport businesses including QR Limited. He currently sits on the Board of Port of Brisbane and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and a Fellow of the Centre for Integrated Engineering Asset Management.

Jemina Dunn has over 10 years’ experience as an Executive Director and Non-Executive Director with Ai Group and the Department of the Premier of Cabinet, and is a Guest Lecturer with the University of Queensland’s School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management.

 The board appointments commence on 1 October 2016 and expire on 30 September 2019. 

With more than 6,500km of tracks linking 216 stations across Queensland, Queensland Rail manages more than $6.9 billion in total assets and generates $1.9 billion in revenue every year.

Queensland Rail has a workforce of more than 6,000 who service more than 50 million customer journeys on the Citytrain​ network in South-East  Queensland and more than 700,000 customer journeys on long-distance and tourist trains every year.

Media contact:  Treasurer - 0447 316 432

Minister for Transport – 0475 950 772