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Public Hearings 2014

Community consultations for the Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry were held between 10 April 2014 and 8 May 2014.

Consultations individuals and non-government organisations from Morwell and the Latrobe Valley an opportunity to discuss their views about key issues in relation to the Board of Inquiry’s investigation.

Details of consultation sessions:

Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry hearings were held between 26 May 2014 and 18 June 2014. See below for the order of proceedings.

View hearing documents

Week One: Origin of and response to the fires

Date: Monday 26 May 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • Appearances
  • Opening remarks from Chair of the Board of Inquiry
  • Opening remarks from Counsel Assisting
  • Craig Lapsley, Fire Services Commissioner
  • William Brown, former Fire Services Officer at the Hazelwood Mine

Date: Tuesday 27 May 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • Jaymie Norris, Acting Manager, Strategic Bushfire Risk Assessment Unit,
  • David Shanahan, GDF Suez Services Superintendent
  • James Mauger, GDF Suez 1×7 Operator
  • Graeme Freshwater, Community Witness
  • Steven Harkins, GDF Suez Director, People, Culture and Environment

Date: Wednesday 28 May 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • Steven Harkins, GDF Suez Director, People, Culture and Environment
  • Romeo Prezioso, GDF Suez Senior Mine Planner
  • James Faithfull, GDF Suez Technical Services Manager – Mine
  • Robert Dugan, GDF Suez Mine Production Manager
  • Anthony Lalor, CFA Volunteer
  • Laurence Jeremiah, Incident Controller

Date: Thursday 29 May 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • Costa Katsikis, Deputy Incident Controller
  • Robert Barry, Incident Controller
  • John Haynes, Incident Controller
  • Doug Steley, CFA Volunteer
  • Alan Roach, GDF Suez Security and Emergency Services Manager

Date: Friday 30 May 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • Craig Lapsley, Fire Services Commissioner
  • Steven Harkins, GDF Suez Director, People, Culture and Environment
  • Tracie Lund, Morwell Neighbourhood House Coordinator
  • Robert Kelly, Victorian WorkCover

Week Two: Health and Environment

Date: Monday 2 June 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • Introductory remarks from Board member John Catford
  • John Merritt, former Chief Executive Officer, Environment Protection Authority
  • Simon Ellis, former President of Voices of the Valley
  • Nicholas Pole, Deputy Secretary, Regional Services Group, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

Date: Tuesday 3 June 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • Paul Torre, Science officer
  • Claire Richardson, Managing Director and Principal Consultant, Air Noise Environment Pty Ltd
  • Vicki Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary, Asbestos Council of Victoria and Gippsland Asbestos Related Diseases Support Inc
  • Christopher Brook, State Health and Medical Commander

Date: Wednesday 4 June 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • Rosemary Lester, Chief Health Officer
  • Donald Campbell, Professor of Medicine, Southern Clinical School, Monash University and Program Director, General Medicine Program, Monash Health
  • Annette Wheatland, Gippsland Regional Manager, Southern Cross Care Victoria

Date: Thursday 5 June 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • Macnamara, Professor of Public Communication, University of Technology and Lachlan Drummond, Consultant, Research and Strategy Lead, Redhanded Communications
  • Brooke Burke, Morwell Business Owner
  • Merita Tabain, Chair, Emergency Management Joint Public Information Committee
  • John Mitchell, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Latrobe City Council

Date: Friday 6 June 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • John Mitchell, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Latrobe City Council
  • Alan Hall, State Recovery Coordinator and Director
  • Karen Andrews, Youth Suicide Prevention Counsellor, Ramahyuck District Aboriginal Corporation
  • Steven Harkins, GDF Suez Director, People, Culture and Environment

Week Three: Mitigation and Prevention

Date: Monday 9 June 2014 – Public holiday
Date: Tuesday 10 June 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • Opening remarks from Board member Sonia Petering
  • Kylie White, Executive Director, Earth Resources Regulation Branch, Department of State Development, Business and Innovation
  • Robert Gaulton, former Mine Geologist with the Hazelwood Mine
  • Jason Pullman, Coordinator of Strategic Planning, Latrobe City Council

Date: Wednesday 11 June 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • Kevin Hayes, Field Subject Matter Expert and Workplace Inspector, Earth Resources Unit, Victorian WorkCover Authority
  • Leonard Neist, Executive Director, Health & Safety, Victorian WorkCover Authority
  • Robert Jackman, Morwell resident
  • Lance King, Coordinator of Emergency Management, Latrobe City Counci

Date: Thursday 12 June 2014
Order of proceedings:

  • Lisa Wilson, WitnessGippsland Homeless Network Coordinator, Quantum
  • James Faithfull, GDF Suez Technical Services Manager – Mine
  • Richard Polmear, GDF, Suez Carbon Efficiency and Improvement General Manager
  • David Cliff, Professor of Occupational Health and Safety in the Mineral Industry and Director, Mineral Industry Safety and Health Centre, University of Queensland

Date: Friday 13 June 2014 (9.30 am start)
Order of proceedings:

  • Rod Incoll, Bushfire Risk Consultant
  • Romeo Prezioso, GDF Suez Senior Mine Planner
  • George Graham, GDF Suez Asset Manager
  • Craig Lapsley, Fire Services Commissioner

Week Four: Submissions

Date: Monday, 16 June 2014
Non-hearing day

Date: Tuesday, 17 June 2014
Order of submissions:

  • Counsel Assisting the Board of Inquiry
  • Environment Victoria
  • United Firefighters Union

Date: Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Order of submissions:

  • GDF Suez
  • VGSO

View hearing documents

Download the Public Hearings Guidelines(PDF 147 KB)

Last Updated on - Tuesday, 26 May 2015