Jack Noye pulls up a chair at the table

Jack Noye has been appointed chair of the Granite Belt Water Ltd (GBWL) board, following Dan Hunt’s acceptance of an extension to his role as interim chair of SunWater.

Jack Noye has been appointed chair of the Granite Belt Water Ltd (GBWL) board, following Dan Hunt’s acceptance of an extension to his role as interim chair of SunWater.

GBWL operates the Granite Belt Irrigation Project (GBIP) which will provide a 12,000 megalitre dam at Emu Swamp, south-west of Stanthorpe, and 126km of pipeline.

GBIP CEO, Lloyd Taylor, said he was pleased to announce Mr Noye’s appointment and thanked Mr Hunt for his valuable contribution.

“The Granite Belt Irrigation Project team sincerely thanks Dan, who has been chair of the board for more than two-and-a-half years, for his hard work and leadership in progressing this project which is poised to be game-changing for the Granite Belt region,” Mr Taylor said.

“Dan has played a significant role in bringing us to this point and we are now delighted to appoint Jack, who brings extensive experience within both the agriculture and water sectors, to the position of chair.

“Jack has already worked very closely with the project as a board member, and has demonstrated he is the ideal fit for this role, and will bring his enthusiam to ensure this transformational project becomes a reality.”

Mr Noye has been a member on the GBIP board since 2019.

He previously held the position of director-general of the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and CEO of Trade Investment Queensland.

He currently sits on the Food Leaders Australia Agriculture Advisory Board.

“I am pleased to be able to apply my skills and knowledge to what is a defining project for the Granite Belt and for Queensland. Emu Swamp Dam is on track to deliver much-needed water security to a community and industry that over the years has felt the full impact of not having adequate infrastructure in place to deal with prolonged drought,” Mr Noye said.

“I look forward to engaging more with the local community, as we work together to grow the prosperity of the region.”

Mr Hunt said he will continue to watch as the project moves towards completion.

“The project is now on the verge of construction, and the quick progress which has been made over the past three years is a testament to the hard work of the Stanthorpe community and the GBIP team. I look forward to seeing Emu Swamp Dam completed, and wintessing the transformational impact it will have on the region,” he said.

Mr Noye joins the existing board which includes Brian O’Sullivan, Steven Tremellen, Leeanne Gangemi, Nathan Baronio, Dino Rizzato, and Bill James.

The Emu Swamp Dam project is being jointly funded, with $24.3 million from local water customers, the highest proportion of community investment in water infrastructure in Queensland’s history.

While the Australian Government, has committed $42 million through the National Water Grid Fund, and $5 million through the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative toward the delivery of the project, and the Queensland Government has committed a conditional $13.6 million.