Commander The Honourable Shane L Stone AC PGDK QC RAN(Rtd)

Shane Stone is the Australian Governments Coordinator-General for National Drought and North Queensland Flood Response and Recovery, a SES Agency Head in the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet. This role assigned by Prime Minister Morrison on 5 December 2019 supersedes his former role as Chairman & CEO of the North Queensland Livestock Industry Recovery Agency (NQLIRA) following the devastating monsoon and floods in January 2019. Shane Stone is also the Chairman of the Order of Australia Council, the penultimate authority that recommends to the Governor-General Australia’s civil honours list. The position is honorary and unpaid. By accepting the role of Council Chairman Shane Stone retired from his commercial engagements on three continents, and withdrew from active party politics. The annual turnover of those associated entities, public and private, exceeded $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), and Chairman of the Mayfair Limited Group in Australia. He was also Chairman of the QLD State power utility Energex Limited, a Director of Thiess, one of Australia’s largest construction and mining contracting firms operating in Indonesia and India and mortgage fund ASX Listed City Pacific Limited. On retiring from Parliament Shane Stone was part of the Australian team that negotiated the historic North West Shelf LNG sale to China 2001 estimated at $USD25 billion; the first-ever LNG transaction with China. Shane Stone was formerly a barrister in Victoria and NSW, Legal Practitioner (NT); as First Law Officer NT he received a Commission as Queens Counsel in 1997, appointed by the Administrator the Honourable Dr Neil Conn AO GCSt.J. He specialized in civil litigation and criminal jurisdictions. He was formerly Associate to the late Honourable Sir Edward Woodward AC OBE, Federal Court of Australia and former Director-General ASIO. Shane Stones philanthropic work has centred on fundraising including Patron Member of the Stockman Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre. Also, National Chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh Award in Australia, National President of the Order of Australia Association, 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 of Australia. He is a former member of service clubs Lions (Chiltern, Victoria) and Rotary (Mbantua Alice Springs and Port Darwin). He has also served as the Patron of the Italian Club Darwin, Combined RSL Clubs of the NT and of the Naval Association in the NT. As the Member for Port Darwin, he was the Patron of the Darwin Pensioners & Senior Citizens Association. Throughout Shane’s working life as a barrister, Member of Parliament and businessman he served VUS (voluntary unpaid service) in the Australian Navy Reserve where he was commissioned as a Seaman Officer and retired in 2016 with the rank of Commander. He is a recipient of the Reserve Force Medal and the Australian Defence Medal. On March 5 2019, he was accorded privileges of service including honorary title CMDR RAN(Rtd) by Chief of Navy. He is also the recipient of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Australia, Gold Distinguished Service Medal. Shane was the Inaugural Chairman of the Centre for Military & Security Law at the Australian National University Law School. Shane Stone is an alumnus of the Australian National University, Melbourne Law School, Adelaide and Sturt Universities and a former Visiting Fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law Cambridge University. He is a Life Member and Fellow of the Australian College of Educators; a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, also the Australian Institute of Management and of 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 a President of the NT Country Liberal Party (1986 – 1989; 2016 - 2017), Federal President of the Liberal Party of Australia during the Howard Government (1999 – 2005) and Chief Minister of the Northern Territory (1995 – 1999); he held various senior Cabinet posts dating from 1990 before his election as Chief Minister. He was the first-named Minister for Asian Relations & Trade, an initiative of then Chief Minister Marshall Perron. At various times he served as Minister for the main economic portfolios as well as Education and Training. Shane Stone is a Life Member of the Victorian Division of the Liberal Party and of the NT CLP. Following Shane Stone’s APS appointment, he recused himself from all active political engagement. Shane Stone has undertaken various tasks for successive Governments in recent years including as Chairman of 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'. At various times Shane Stone has been acknowledged as an informed commentator on ASEAN, China and Indonesia and pro bono has addressed various forums. Since leaving Parliament he has consistently declined all fees for speaking engagements. 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 it is the most senior civilian award conferred in Australia. His 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’’. He also holds awards from Indonesia and Malaysia. Several ethnic communities in the Northern Territory accorded Shane Stone Life Membership and awards in recognition of his support over many years including the Kalymnian Brotherhood. He was previously awarded honorary citizenship of Kalymnos during a State visit to Greece in 1995. Shane Stone was conferred a Life Member of the Cyprus Community of the Northern Territory also of the Greek Orthodox Community NT in 1998. Further, Shane Stone was presented the 'The ALKI Award' by The Australian Justice for Cyprus Coordinating Committee 'For Outstanding Service to the Cause of Justice and the Cypriot Community of the NT'. The Filipino Australia Association of the Northern Territory presented a Centennial Award to Shane Stone in 1998 following the Chief Minister officially opening the Filipino Community Centre. 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 can also trace direct descent to convicts of the 2nd and 3rd fleets. The first free settlers of the Stone family arrived in Moreton Bay, Queensland from Plymouth in 1865 (Colony of QLD separated from NSW 1859). Shane and Josephine married over 42 years ago; they have 2 adult children. Josephine Stone AM is a graduate of Melbourne Law School, a legal practitioner with a long history of philanthropic activity including Red Cross, Zonta, NT Women’s Advisory Council and Darwin Private Hospital Advisory Board. Josephine is a Council Member of the Australian War Memorial and formerly served on the Commonwealth’s Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee. Josephine and Shane divide their time between Brisbane and Darwin. Josephine was conferred a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2007. Her citation read: ‘’For service to the community of the Northern Territory, and to the law’’. To see Shane Stone’s complete archives, see https://www.stonefamilyinaustralia.com.au/shane_stone