Shane Stone is the former Chief Minister of Australia's Northern Territory, Federal President of the Liberal Party of Australia and the former Co-ordinator General of the National Recovery & Resilience Agency (NRRA) established by the Morrison Government in the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet in response to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements. Shane Stone is also a former Chairman of the Order of Australia Council. He is currently Executive Chairman of the APAC Group of Companies, the Stone Family investment company with interests in the Northern Territory and Queensland. Shane is also the President of the Northern Territory Country Liberal Party.
Shane Stone is the Executive Chairman of the APAC Group of Companies, the Stone Family investment company with interests in the Northern Territory and Queensland. He is also the President of the Northern Territory Country Liberal Party. He is the former Co-Ordinator General of the National Recovery & Resilience Agency (NRRA) established by the Morrison Government in the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet in response to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements. The history and background of his appointment. Prime Minister Morrison launched the new Agency in Townsville on 5 May 2021. The Agency incorporated the National Drought and North Queensland Flood Recovery & Response Agency (NDNQFRRA), the National Bushfire Recovery Agency (NBRA), and certain responsibilities of Emergency Management Australia (EMA) including natural disaster risk reduction, preparedness functions, as well as management of specific disaster recovery programs, (formerly Department of Home Affairs) and the Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) (formerly Department of Agriculture, Environment & Water). NRRA replaced Shane Stone’s former roles as Co-Ordinator General NDNQFRRA and Chairman & CEO of the North Queensland Livestock Industry Recovery Agency (NQLIRA) following the devastating monsoon and floods in January 2019. On the election of the Albanese Labor Government, the NRRA was abolished, and Shane Stone retired as Co-Ordinator General on 1 September 2022. Concurrently with the foregoing on 30 March 2021, Shane Stone was appointed to the Commonwealth Senior Advisory Group by the Morrison Government to examine the Commonwealth’s three jointly managed national parks - Booderee, Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta (Ayres Rock). The role of the Senior Advisory Group was to recommend improvements to joint management arrangements and provide a clear and co-designed pathway to transition to Traditional Owners having more responsibility and control over the management of their land. The Advisory Group successfully concluded in December 2021. Shane Stone is also the former Chairman of the Order of Australia Council, the penultimate authority that recommends to the Governor-General Australia’s civil honours list completing his second term on 30 June 2022. In that role, he undertook important reforms and improvements to the Australian honours system. Shane’s schooling included primary, Ariel Street Wodonga, St Patrick’s Christian Brothers College Albury, junior secondary St John’s De La Salle College Dandenong and senior secondary Wodonga High School. In 1966 Shane was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Military College Duntroon. He subsequently enlisted at RMC in 1968, stayed briefly and did not graduate. He was a member of Gallipoli Company. Thereafter, Shane joined the CMF and trained as a primary school teacher in Victoria (subsequently registered secondary and technical). He was concurrently a Probation Officer for the State of Victoria before studying law, serving as Associate to Federal Court Justice the Honourable Sir Edward Woodward AC OBE, and reading with Richard Stanley at the Victorian Bar. He is an alumnus of the Australian National University, Melbourne Law School Joint Winner, John Madden Exhibition (Problems of Proof, First Class Honours), Adelaide and Charles Sturt Universities and a former Visiting Fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law Cambridge University. He holds undergraduate degrees in Arts and Law, Diploma of Financial Planning, Diploma of Teaching and a graduate qualification in educational administration. He is a former deputy head of International House, University of Melbourne and resident tutor at John XXIII College ANU. Post his Parliamentary career Shane’s commercial engagements comprised an annual turnover (public and private entities in the UK and Australia), exceeding $USD3.5 billion; roles included Deputy Chairman of UK listed Impellam Group (one of the world’s largest providers of Managed Services and Specialist Staffing), also subsidiary Medacs Healthcare plc UK and Australia (staffing agency for the NHS UK and Australia Pacific public and private hospitals). He was Chairman of the Mayfair Group in Australia (construction and financial services); former Chairman of the QLD State power utility Energex Limited (retired end of term), a Director of Thiess, one of Australia’s and Indonesia’s largest construction and mine contracting firms among a number of commercial entities. Shane Stone was also part of the Australian team that negotiated the historic North West Shelf LNG sale to China in 2001 estimated at $USD25 billion. This was the first time the PRC included LNG in their energy profile. Shane Stone continued his interests in the resources sector. Dhupuma Resources incorporated in March 2007 was a joint venture between the late Galarrwuy Yunupingu AM (for the Gumatj Association) and the APAC Group (a wholly Stone-owned entity). Dumpuma was a bauxite-focused company set up to mine the Dhupuma Plateau. Following an approach from Gulkula Corporation Ltd (a new entity created by the Gumatj), APAC sold their interests while keeping the shell of Dhupuma (and changed the name to Northern Resources). In 2017 Gulkula commenced operating Dhupuma Plateau, a second bauxite mine in the Carpentaira Basin, near Gove immediately south of the Gove mineral lease. The Aboriginal-owned Gulkula Mining Company Pty Ltd opened in August 2017 and is expected to ramp up to full annual production of 500,000 tpa bauxite within the first four years, and continue this rate of production for a projected 15 year mine life. The mine is associated with a Mining Training Centre for local Aboriginal people, established with the support of Rio Tinto. The ore is sold to Rio Tinto’s Gove operation. It was the first wholly owned Aboriginal mining company and Shane Stone is proud to have been one of the architects. Before his election to Parliament, Shane Stone a former primary school teacher practised as a barrister at the Victorian Bar and NSW, High Court register, Legal Practitioner NT, and admitted barrister Tasmania (Roll of Practitioners No. M387/1985). As First Law Officer, Attorney General NT on application to the Administrator the Honourable Dr Neil Conn AO GCStJ Shane Stone received a Commission as Queens Counsel in 1997. On the death of the monarch and the ascension of Charles III changes to Kings’ Counsel. Shane Stone’s philanthropic work has included the National Chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh Award in Australia (Shane and Josephine Stone are Award Ambassadors in Australia), President of the Order of Australia Association (Life Member), National Chairman of the Defence Reserve Support Council, a Director of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation and National Patron of the Dragon Boat Federation. He is also a Patron Member and Director of the Board of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre. Throughout Shane’s working life as a barrister, Member of Parliament and businessman he served in the CMF and Australian Navy Reserve where he gained his commission as a Seaman Executive Officer. He retired Commander in 2016 following combined service in the Army and Navy Reserves (subsequently extended Privileges of Service by Chief of Navy to use the honorary title of CMDR RAN(Rtd)). He is the recipient of the Reserve Force Medal and the Australian Defence Medal. Further Shane Stone is a recipient of the Centenary Medal. He was conferred by the Duke of Edinburgh Award of Australia the Gold Distinguished Service Medal; presented by HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation. He was the Inaugural Chairman of the Centre for Military & Security Law at the Australian National University Law School. On a professional level, Shane Stone is a Life Member and Fellow of the Australian College of Educators; a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Australian Institute of Management, and the Financial Services Institute of Australasia. He was made an Honorary Life Member of LAWASIA in 1996 in recognition of his active support for the ‘rule of law’ in Asia and the Pacific. Shane Stone served as President of the NT Country Liberal Party (1986 – 1989; 2016 - 2017), and Federal President of the Liberal Party of Australia during the Howard Government (1999 – 2005). He was Chief Minister of the Northern Territory (1995 – 1999) and held various senior Cabinet posts dating from 1990. He retired undefeated. He is a Life Member of the Victorian Division of the Liberal Party (2010) and an Honorary Life member of the QLD Liberal National Party (2020). Shane is a Financial Life Member (1987), and Honorary Life Member of the NT Country Liberal Party (2017). The Federal Council of the Liberal Party conferred Honorary Life Membership on Shane Stone on 29 May 2021; similarly honoured commencing 2012 Janette and John Howard AC OM and the Hon Peter Costello AC; see certificate In August 2023 Shane was elected President of the CLP, his third stint in that role. Over the years Shane maintained an interest in politics and government serving long-term as Assistant Chairman of the International Democratic Union (IDU) and as a member of the Expert Panel on Political Parties of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) based in Stockholm, Sweden. Shane Stone has undertaken various tasks for successive Governments including Chairing the Northern Australia Advisory Group informing and advising the Commonwealth White Paper on Developing Northern Australia: ‘Our North, Our Future: White Paper on Developing Northern Australia’ and member of the Panel advising on the Northern Australia Transport Study At various times Shane Stone has been acknowledged as an informed commentator on ASEAN, China and Indonesia. His speaking engagements have always been pro bono without exception. He is a former member of the Council of the Asian Australian Institute of the University of NSW Chaired by Professor Stephen Fitzgerald AO and a participant in the Asian Leaders Forum. Shane Stone was conferred a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list June 2006; awarded for eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or humanity at large is the most senior civilian award conferred in Australia. The citation read: For service to politics contributing to strengthening Federal-State-Territory intergovernmental processes, to furthering the bilateral relationship between Australia and the Asia Pacific region, and to the oil and gas industry. Shane Stone has been conferred Awards from Indonesia (Bintang Jasa Pratama, Order of Service), and Malaysia (Commander of the Order of Kinabalu Sabah (PGDK)). He holds Awards from the Crown Council of Ethiopia. A number of ethnic communities in the NT accorded Shane Stone Life Membership in recognition of his support over many years – Greek Orthodox Community of the NT, Kalymnian Brotherhood (also conferred Honorary Citizen of Kalymnos, Greece), Cypriot Community of the NT (ALKI award presented by the Justice for Cyprus Co-ordinating Committee ‘For Outstanding Service to the cause of Justice and the Cypriot Community of the NT’) and Filipino Centennial Award presented for his support for the Filipino Australian Association of the Northern Territory. He was also conferred Life Membership of the Philippines-Australia Business Council (PABC). To underscore his strong connection with the southern Philippines Shane was presented the keys of the City of Davao Mindanao Philippines by Mayor Rodrigo R Duterte (subsequently elected President of the Philippines). He is a former Patron of the Italian Club in Darwin. Shane Stone is a 6th generation Australian, a direct descendant of a First Fleet convict who disembarked the Prince of Wales Sydney Cove in 1788. He was granted Armorial Assigns on Australia Day, 26 January 2008 by the UK College of Arms. Shane Stone has now returned to the private sector following a brief sabbatical.
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