Chris Corrigan has been a crusader for industrial relations reform

Chris Corrigan notes that with the big deals done, it’s now time to bed down the expanded Qube business. (Hollie Adams/The Australian)

Chris Corrigan’s decision to step down as chairman of ports and logistics group Qube signals the end of an era for the Australian waterfront and the retirement of a crusader for the reform of the country’s industrial relations system.

The decision, announced at the Qube annual meeting in Sydney today by an emotional Corrigan, marks the end of long career in logistics for the 70-year old Corrigan, who not only took on the Maritime Union of Australia in a bitter waterfront dispute in 1998 but went on to build up a new company to carry out his vision.

“It’s a big change,” Corrigan admitted in a press interview after the meeting.

“It’s 30 years of involvement with a lot of very fine people,” he said, his voice breaking.

Corrigan, who now lives in Switzerland, said he felt the recent big Qube deals, including effectively regaining control of Patrick, the stevedoring company he built up in the nineties, (Qube will run it as a joint venture with Canada’s Brookfield Infrastructure Partners) and the acquisition of 100 per cent of the Moorebank intermodal freight handling project in Sydney’s west, meant that the company was moving into a new phase.

Mr Corrigan said he had been considering stepping down as Qube chairman “for a considerable period of time” and with the big deals done, the next phase for Qube was bedding down the expanded business.

“I was involved with the team that built Patrick and then we went and did it all over again with Qube,” he said.

“Now we have finally reassembled it and put it all together again. It is a very good structure.”

“We are now going into a phase where there is a lot of implementation rather than strategic issues.”

He said the new chairman, Qube director Allan Davies, who will take over as chairman around the middle of next year, was better at implementation than he was.

“He has had a lot of operational experience,” he said.

“It is better to have someone who is here all the time and has the time to devote to it as well.”

Corrigan has stepped down after a tough takeover battle this year to regain control of Patrick by bidding for its parent company Asciano. The deal has just been finalised.

Qube chief executive Maurice James paid tribute to Corrigan’s “strategic vision” in seeing the future potential of a much more efficient Australian waterfront and also the idea of an intermodal terminal at Moorebank, which has the potential to relieve the city’s congested road system of substantial number of container trucks.

While many business leaders call for reform, Corrigan was one of the rare leaders who had the courage of his convictions, personally leading a tough battle with the MUA in 1998, which has improved efficiency on the Australian waterfront.

Having thrashed out a new industrial agreement, Corrigan then put together a company which is now one of the country’s major logistics players.

Corrigan began his career as an investment banker with Bankers Trust before going out on his own.

He has recently stepped up his involvement with ASX-listed agricultural company Webster Limited where he has become executive chairman.

Mr Corrigan said he was keen to explore the potential of the agricultural company which is a walnut producer and is putting together a portfolio of water rights.

He said today that the Australian government’s system, of tradeable water rights was the envy of many other countries around the world.

Corrigan has a 13 per cent stake in the company working alongside his son Joseph who is an alternative director.

He said he felt agriculture was one of his next big challenges.

“For me it is quite fascinating,” he said.

“I used to be a banker once and then I got into logistics.

“Now I am making a late run at agriculture.”