No man’s land? How Chris Ellison’s helicopter commutes flew under the radar

A helicopter comes roaring from beyond the bushland lining Perth’s quaint Herdsman Lake nature reserve, stirring a plume of sand and freshly cut grass before the landing skids meet the ground.

As the rotor blades begin to slow, the pilot exits the cockpit to retrieve his passenger — only to find the suited figure has already swung open the door and leapt out, grabbing his suitcase and making a beeline for the private vehicle awaiting his arrival.

A resident, who asked this masthead not to reveal their identity, had quizzed about half a dozen local authorities to find out how the Bell 429 GlobalRanger flying over their quiet estate in Perth’s north-west had gained permission to land opposite a tightly controlled wildlife sanctuary.

But they had never previously seen its well-dressed, jet-setting passenger in the flesh — and they had no idea they had unwittingly picked a fight with a billionaire.

“It was a terrific noise,” the resident says while recalling watching the chopper land in front of them during a visit to the reserve last year.

“I didn’t know who Chris Ellison was, but I do now.”

Ellison, the New Zealander behind $7 billion WA iron ore miner Mineral Resources, was unaware the commute from his beach house in Eagle Bay, in WA’s picturesque South West, to the reserve opposite his company’s headquarters in the city suburb of Osborne Park had drawn the ire of residents.

Most of the reserve is governed by state law, with everything from watercraft to fishing at the site forbidden to protect the wildlife, including more than 100 species of birds.

The laws, however, do not apply to a tiny pocket in the northernmost portion managed by the City of Stirling and used by the Perth Horse and Pony Club — and where Ellison took to landing his chopper.

When this masthead traced the aircraft at the centre of community gossip in June 2024, MinRes was adamant its founder had permission.

The pony club now claims the helicopter landings began as early as July 2022.

The city confirmed it had received an inquiry from the miner and had no in-principle objection, provided Ellison obtained all other necessary approvals.

But it is adamant that did not occur until September 2023 and conceded it had no mechanism to issue a permit until October 2024.

This masthead’s analysis of the $10 million aircraft’s flight log between June 2023 and June 2024 indicates Ellison landed at the reserve more than 30 times.

Eight of those landings occurred before MinRes formally consulting the council.

A year-long chain of correspondence this masthead obtained under Freedom of Information laws has corroborated the city’s version of events.

But it has also laid bare how Ellison was able to fly without formal approval for more than two years amid confusion over what constituted an approval and which agency had ultimate responsibility and despite the concerns being raised by residents, politicians and government bodies.

The chopper landing at the site in early 2024.

A dramatic entrance

Shortly after the doors to Mineral Resources’ lavish $130 million headquarters opened in June 2022, its planning consultant was sounding out the approvals process.

A city spokesperson told this masthead it gave MinRes preliminary advice in July 2022, but indicated it would require more information before providing a detailed response.

The spokesperson confirmed the discussions did not progress.

But the Perth Horse and Pony Club claims its president received a phone call from Ellison’s personal assistant later that month asking to use the site over a weekend to drop off an unnamed executive, claiming the city had signed off on the plan provided the club did not take issue.

Believing the city had consented, the club’s executive committee granted Ellison approval.

On August 22, 2022, a club representative claims it was contacted about landing the chopper on a more regular basis.

The club’s board green lit the request subject to strict conditions, including that it be notified 24 hours before landing and that the pilot land in a way that would minimise disturbance to wildlife.

The club confirmed those conditions had been complied with and there is no suggestion that Ellison has breached any law.

By October, the City of Stirling was lauding Mineral Resources for injecting 800 jobs into its premier industrial precinct post-pandemic, in a media statement that has since disappeared from its website.

Mayor Mark Irwin joined then-chief executive Stuart Jardine and its director of planning on a visit to the premises shortly after it opened, posing alongside Ellison — who raved about the “beautiful view” of the Herdsman Wetlands.

City of Stirling mayor Mark Irwin and Mineral Resources chief Chris Ellison at the company’s Osborne Park headquarters in 2022.

The paper trail begins

The first documentary evidence of a formal landing request is from September 2023, when then-planning boss Stevan Rodic took a phone call from Ellison’s agent before penning a letter to advise the proposal would not require a development approval and the city had no in-principle objection.

The correspondence, which was later forwarded to Jardine and Irwin, hailed the regulator the appropriate authority and stipulated that the city’s support hinged on MinRes securing all other necessary approvals.

This masthead understands the city received the first of the community complaints in February 2024.

But the city’s communication with Ellison’s agent ceased until May 13, 2024, when it sought an updated liability insurance certificate from the agent after realising it had expired.

Meanwhile, conversations were beginning in other parts of the council building.

‘High priority’: Chorus of resident complaints begins to grow

Councillor Elizabeth Re sent an inquiry marked “high priority” to the city’s planning team, claiming residents were concerned.

In one complaint, a resident claimed to have seen the aircraft flying low over the protected lake several times a week before Ellison was chauffeured by car to his office, and claimed the city had told them it had been investigating for three months.

When Ellison’s agent passed on insurance advice the following day, the city’s commercial team asked the proponent what permissions it needed to seek.

Ellison’s representative informed the city that the landowner was the only party needing to sign off, but the city told MinRes to investigate the need for ministerial consent given the state’s oversight of the lake.

The city also sought legal advice and lodged enquiries with the state planning department.

A fortnight later, Councillor Re penned a second email over residents’ concerns.

On June 4, 2024, the city’s planners told Re they were still investigating what approvals may be necessary and by which authority.

Forty-eight hours later, this masthead began asking questions of the city before publishing its first story on June 11.

Twenty-four hours later, Re sent a third inquiry claiming residents were perplexed by revelations the city had known about the helicopter landings and demanding to know who gave Ellison permission.

By June 19, 2024, then-Churchlands MP Christine Tonkin revealed she, too, had been fielding questions about the helicopter.

In an email to the mayor, Tonkin questioned whether the city had granted Ellison approval amid concerns about the noise and disturbance to birdlife.

Tonkin said she had forwarded the complaint to then-environment minister Reece Whitby, who clarified that while the site was subject to a regional management plan, neither he nor his department had legislative power over it.

On July 4, 2024, this masthead published a second story on Ellison’s helicopter landings after discovering the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions had been blindsided by the reports.

An internal staff text chain showed the city’s chief executive then called a lawyer.

Helicopter arrangement piques interest of authorities

That same day, the DBCA wrote to the city requesting a meeting to address the disturbance to wildlife.

The city’s planners wrote to the department claiming the city was “investigating”.

As staff prepared for the meeting on July 31, Irwin was being quizzed in the council chambers about whether he was involved and whether any consideration was given to the environmental impact of allowing Ellison to land.

While the city responded to complaints from residents, Ellison launched a search for a new pilot; according to the Australian Financial Review, one who was “personable, flexible and discreet”.

By September 2024, flight tracking websites had ceased logging the aircraft’s movements at Ellison’s request, according to the AFR.

The city’s corporate services team advised the chief executive it had been working through permit options and scenarios with Ellison’s team after getting legal advice.

Emails show the council staff realising initial intentions to draft a letter of permit could trigger a requirement for ministerial approval.

Instead, it decided to issue a permit under Local Law, and identified a staff member who could do it under delegated authority.

Forty-five minutes later, that staff member was directed to sign the permit by close of business.

“Afraid this one has been around for a while, and we really need to finalise with [name redacted] today. Sorry for the very short notice,” the email read.

The permit was approved and issued that day subject to conditions, which covered the frequency of use and required support from two government ministers.

Ellison has not landed at the site since.

So, who green lit the original approval, and should they have?

WAtoday was refused access to a further eight documents totalling more than 100 pages, including details of the permit.

MinRes declined to answer questions from this masthead, including who gave Ellison’s team the understanding they had permission to land at the site in 2022 and why the MinRes timeline differed so sharply from the city’s.

A MinRes spokesperson has previously said flights operated under best practice guidelines, using steep take-off and descent profiles and avoiding level flight at less than 1200 feet.

In a statement, a spokesperson defended the city’s handling of the issue and its decision to liaise with MinRes, emphasising it was not an issue the city regularly dealt with.

It also denied local government officers unduly aided the proponent by preparing a plan that circumvented the need for ministerial approval in executing the permit.

The DBCA was also coy about whether its concerns about the fauna species at the site, that could be disturbed by the frequent use of a helicopter, had any bearing on the permit.

Residents may not see answers to these questions any time soon – but the publicity, the concurrent revelations Ellison has been involved in an offshore tax scandal that is set to cost him his role at the helm, and Ellison since maintaining a low profile, have seen a return to serenity for the birds and walkers at Herdsman Lake.

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