The no-nonsense approach by former Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority chief executive officer Bill O’Kane was referenced at the release of the new Shepparton Irrigation Region Land and Water Management Plan on Thursday, August 29.
The late Bill O’Kane had a reputation for sorting through rubbish to get to the heart of the matter, and didn’t have much time for bureaucracy.
The guest speaker at the launch of the new plan, was former G-MW chief executive officer Denis Flett, who noted Mr O’Kane’s stamp on the progress of early plans for the region.
Mr Flett recalled the Surface Drainage Program was being reviewed by “highfalutin” consultants and there was a sense of great scrutiny.
“The consultants were applying their framework of governance and accountability and were having some difficulty understanding some of the practicality of the partnership arrangements which were in place,” he said.
“Their conclusion was along the lines of: “This program is performing extremely well, but seems to rely heavily on personal relationships rather than clearly documented structural arrangements; this poses a significant risk for the program in the event of key personnel moving on.”
“Bill’s response to me was along the lines of: “Well Fletty, it’s a bit unique having a program that does not work in theory, but is world-class in practice”.
“Never underestimate the power of effective relationships,” Mr Flett said.
