New Director General to lead DoIR

The Department of Industry and Resources (DoIR) new Director General, Anne Nolan, has officially started her role at the department this week.

Beginning her five-year term on 7 July, Ms Nolan brings a wealth of experience in leading and developing public sector agencies, most recently as Deputy Director General at the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Ms Nolan said she was looking forward to leading a department that has been significantly involved in Western Australia’s unprecedented growth.

“WA has a strong and diverse economy, so it will be a very exciting challenge to ensure this growth continues in a sustainable manner,” she said.

“I am looking forward to working on significant issues facing our State such as energy security, development in the Pilbara and the Kimberley, approvals processes and industry diversification.”

Ms Nolan said the need for cooperation between government and industry was extremely important.

“I am looking forward to ensuring DoIR delivers its services to best meet the needs of industry and other stakeholders,” she said.

“Cooperation between government and industry is significant because of the interactive nature of our economy, and people’s expectation in the community.

“The community wants economic growth but they want it to occur in an environmentally sensitive way and is socially inclusive and responsible.”  

DoIR already plays a significant role in ensuring that proposed resource expansions and new developments are sustainable, and that they will return a dividend to all Western Australians to underpin our future.

Ms Nolan said she has worked across many government agencies and that one of the things she has identified in the public sector environment is the strong need to work collaboratively between departments.

“The public sector has to understand what the real issues are to the private sector – they are timing and commerciality,” she said.

“I think one of the things I can contribute is an understanding of commercial issues and business issues.”

Premier Alan Carpenter said he expected Ms Nolan to bring a strong strategic and practical focus to the broad economic agenda of the department.
 
“I am confident Ms Nolan will bring great focus to working with industry to grow our existing industries and to develop new innovative industries,” he said.

Ms Nolan’s other government posts include Chief Executive at the Independent Market Operator, and the Coordinator of Energy at the Office of Energy.
 
She has also held a number of senior positions within the Department of Treasury and Finance including the role of Executive Director (Economic).