Sacked Power and Water Corp boss Michael Thomson lands new job as Mackay council CEO

SACKED Power and Water Corporation boss Michael Thomson has landed a new role as chief executive of a North Queensland council.

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SACKED Power and Water Corporation boss Michael Thomson has landed a new role as chief executive of a North Queensland council.

Mr Thomson, along with Territory Generation chief executive Tim Duignan, was sacked in December last year following a lengthy investigation into their “unacceptable” response to an eight-hour blackout in Alice Springs.

An independent report into the “system black”, which hit 12,000 customers, found a mix of human error and equipment failure caused the major power outage.

Mr Thomson has since been appointed chief executive of Mackay Regional Council, a North Queensland local government that serves about 120,000 people.

Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson, left, welcomes newly selected chief executive officer Michael Thomson following a council meeting on Wednesday, August 12.

Mr Thomson told Mackay’s Daily Mercury that Alice Springs and the NT as a whole had a long history of power issues that predated his time as head of Power and Water.

“When I walked in to (Power and Water) the previous treasurer was calling it a ‘basket case’,” Mr Thomson said.

“I don’t necessarily agree with everything in the report … I wasn’t asked or interviewed for it.

“At the end of the day, Tim (Duignan), who was the CEO of the generator down there, and myself were accountable.

“Unfortunately the journey ended there.”

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Despite the very public dismissal, Mr Thomson said he was proud of his four years in the job.

“You look at the journey and what’s been achieved along the way, and I’m quite proud about that,” Mr Thomson said.

Mr Thomson said he would use the lessons learned in the NT in his new Mackay job.

“The main thing in the job for Mackay for me is to make sure we’re constantly consulting with the community,” he said.

“That we are spending money the right way, efficiently and prudently.”

Mr Thomson said his time in the NT had also taught him how to walk the tightrope between commercial imperatives and community concerns.

“I see that as a halfway to this role,” he said.

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He said this would be essential as he took on his first job in local government, after a lifetime in the commercial sector.

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