Sunwater chair – Former deputy premier Jeff Seeney has taken the chair at Sunwater while Jane Paterson—appointed to the company shortly before—moves into an executive corporate affairs role, with questions swirling around who did or didn’t influence the process. The same Queen
A familiar Sunwater face reappeared inside the company’s boardroom circle this month: former deputy premier Jeff Seeney has landed as chair of the state-owned regional water manager, joining the same Crisafulli government network that once placed him alongside a new executive at the company.
In early April—just one month before Sunwater chief executive Glenn Stockton’s departure—Sunwater added Jane Paterson to the team as executive general manager for corporate affairs.. Paterson’s appointment arrived after an external, merit-based process, with the company saying it followed the rules for state-owned corporations.
It also looks, on paper, like a full-circle reunion.. Paterson previously ran media for then deputy premier Jeff Seeney, who now chairs Sunwater’s board.. Seeney. meanwhile. has landed two major board roles under his former colleagues in the Crisafulli government. including chairing state-owned Sunwater and serving as deputy chair of CS Energy.
Sunwater’s deputy chair posting at CS Energy has also been described as coming with its own disruption.. Circus hears Seeney has been ruffling feathers in his approach to the role. and in the deputy chair posting over at CS Energy. which itself recently lost a chief executive in similarly surprising circumstances.
Paterson’s background also links back to a set of corporate roles across energy and policy-adjacent industries.. Her time beyond Seeney’s deputy premier work includes corporate affairs and stakeholder relations roles at Meat and Livestock Australia and Peabody Energy.. She appears to have filled the (renamed) shoes of former executive Cameron Milliner, who left his post in September.
In response to a series of questions. a Sunwater spokesperson said Paterson was appointed on April 7 after an external. merit-based process following state-owned corporation policy.. The spokesperson also said Seeney played no role “due to a declared conflict of interest in line with an established conflict of interest management plan”.
Sunwater’s spokesperson said the process was facilitated by an executive recruitment firm and that the position was advertised across print media.
But the timeline has tightened into a knot for people watching governance closely.. The company said the conflict of interest management plan meant Seeney had no role. while Circus raised further questions about how that sat with other working relationships.. Those questions were “summarily knocked back” and readers were instead directed back to the previous statement.
Circus was told multiple candidates had previous working relationships with Seeney. To Sunwater or CS Energy staff, the column says the “Circus tent is always open wide”, while it makes no suggestion of wrongdoing by either Paterson or Seeney.
The pattern across this Sunwater thread is that three separate elements are being described together: Paterson’s April 7 appointment is said to have followed an external. merit-based process with print media advertising; Seeney is said to have played no part because of a declared conflict of interest under a conflict of interest management plan; and yet the questions raised by Circus are tied to the claim that multiple candidates had prior working relationships with Seeney—creating tension between process safeguards and perceived influence.
Not far from water infrastructure politics. another governance controversy has played out in public view—this time around a local council’s position on e-bikes.. The City of Gold Coast joined thousands of people making submissions opposing a crackdown on low-powered legal e-bikes. but the council says its stance was never formally endorsed as a council position.
The submission highlighted concerns about licensing requirements, age limits and a 10km/h footpath speed. It was dated April 10 and signed by infrastructure operations general manager Duncan Greeney, addressed to the council’s chief executive.
The submission argued: “The primary safety issue is the reckless operation of high-speed e-motorbikes on paths and in open space areas – not pedal e-bikes.”
On April 24, two experts from the Gold Coast’s transport operations team appeared before a parliamentary committee hearing, highlighting issues with the bill.
Later, the council wrote to the committee to say the submission was prepared by city officers and “reflects a technical and operational perspective”. It also stated: “It was not formally endorsed as a position of council.”
That letter, dated May 12, was written by Alton Twine, a former Bicycle Queensland boss now working as general manager for the office of Gold Coast council chief Tim Baker.
A council spokeswoman told Circus the letter was meant as clarification: it said the submission clarifying the position presented at the hearing was based on the opinion of the city’s road safety experts.
“[It was] not a resolution of the council and if they [the committee] wished to engage with the organisation or the elected representatives for a variety of views we would be open to it,” the spokeswoman said.
The column notes it may be “a bit late” to hear what Gold Coast councillors think, after the committee published its report on May 8 recommending several changes in a partial watering-down of the bill.
Brisbane and Logan councils are also said to have raised concerns.. In City Hall last week. Brisbane’s biohacking Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the council’s position was made clear. in writing. in response to a question from Greens councillor Trina Massey asking if he opposed the state government’s proposal.
Schrinner is quoted as saying he stood “in solidarity with our comrades from the BUG (bicycle user group) groups and cyclists in wanting to get the right outcome here”.. The column adds that Schrinner’s stance toward BUG groups comes after he accused members of being mouthpieces for the Greens two years ago; one volunteer is said to have described the comments as “incredibly offensive”.
The government is yet to formally respond to the committee’s recommendations. Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said he looked forward to introducing “nation-leading reforms”.
Across the arts sector. Arts Queensland has moved quickly to update funding rules after laws were passed in early March targeting two Palestinian protest slogans.. Arts Queensland. under long-term Newman-era appointee deputy director-general Kirsten Herring. updated eligibility criteria on at least one major events funding program by the end of the month.
Guidelines attached to the Touring Queensland Fund added a new “community expectations relating to Queensland Government funding” subheading on March 26.. The same segment is now also attached to the Queensland Major Commissioning Fund. the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Development Fund and Queensland Arts Project Fund—covering programs that are previously. currently or to-be-open funding.
The section says the laws’ focus is on “terrorist symbols and phrases” and states the agency won’t support applicants or activities that do not meet an “appropriate use of public money”.. It adds the laws could include promoting behaviour or speech “that is hateful. insulting or that promotes racism or religious intolerance”. or that is contrary to Anti-Discrimination or hate speech laws.
The criteria says Arts Queensland will also consider any financial and operational risks in allocating funding and managing funding agreements. To undertake those due diligence processes, it says Arts Queensland will consider publicly available information.
While the criteria also acknowledges “the unique role the arts can play in considering different points of view. the exchange of ideas and commentary on contemporary issues”. the column frames the shift as raising the stakes for applicants whose online activity could be read as conflicting with the new laws.
It also points to a March-published review by Australian Catholic University chancellor Martin Daubney AM KC of the State Library’s black&write! fellowship saga. That review saw the library stripped of the Queensland Literary Awards and told to tighten up its policies.
At the time, Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the review had “more broadly” highlighted the need for government-funded arts and cultural organisations to consider policies to ensure they “are consistent with and meet the expectations of the Crisafulli government”.
Circus asked Arts Queensland whether the funding change was its own initiative or in response to Langbroek. The agency’s spokesperson provided a four-sentence response that left the publication “none the wiser.”
The week’s governance and legal clashes are also crossing into Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) territory.
A three-week unfair dismissal case is set to begin involving concert pianist Jayson Gillham, whose Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concert was cancelled over his on-stage comments about Gaza. Gillham’s case is linked, through a chain of appointments and sackings, to QPAC board actions.
The column ties the pianist’s saga to the sacking of former orchestra managing director Sophie Galaise, who Langbroek made a Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) board director in October.
Galaise has returned to Canada and has been described as a critical witness in the case, though Federal Court Justice Debra Mortimer has noted she is “unlikely to be a willing” one. Galaise has denied liability and the orchestra is defending the matter.
QPAC board chair Ian Walker—described as the venue board chair and a former LNP MP and arts minister—told the Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window column that any issues arising from Galaise’s involvement in the court case would be dealt with by a “robust conflicts of interest policy”.
The column says that browsing the QPAC website in this context also revealed the departure of another Langbroek October appointee. Rod Pilbeam.. Pilbeam is described as a founding partner of Australian venue management company AEG Ogden, now part of Legends Global.. He is also chair of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and the grandson of controversial state Liberal MP Rex Pilbeam—labelled “Tyrannosaurus Rex”—and is said to have dropped off the QPAC website between December and late February.
In response to Circus questions. a QPAC spokesperson said Pilbeam’s disappearance related to “several significant professional and financial interests relevant to QPAC’s operating environment”.. The spokesperson said these interests were disclosed after his appointment and managed through the board’s governance processes. but “things got a tad unwieldy”.
“It became clear that the scale and ongoing nature of the conflicts would continue to require extensive management measures and recusal from substantial parts of board business,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson continued: “After careful consideration, and acknowledging the advice received regarding governance risk and the integrity of board decision-making, Rod chose to tender his resignation.”
Langbroek’s office suggested the resignation was a matter for Pilbeam. The column notes it isn’t sure the government can brush off questions about appointment processes “so easily”, given it says existing conflicts have previously caused problems for new board picks.
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Queensland politics Sunwater Jeff Seeney Jane Paterson Glenn Stockton CS Energy e-bikes Gold Coast council Arts Queensland protest slogans John-Paul Langbroek QPAC Ian Walker unfair dismissal Jayson Gillham Sophie Galaise Rod Pilbeam