Warwick Watkins

Watkins was born in Newcastle, New South Wales on 8 February 1950. He was educated at Grafton High School and Hawkesbury Agricultural College.[1][2]

Watkins was selected in the Australian Rugby team, the Wallabies, and was a reserve in the three Test match Bledisloe Cup series against New Zealand in 1980 held in Australia.[1]

Watkins held a range of senior New South Wales public service positions including:

• Commissioner of the NSW Soil Conservation Service
• Director-General of the Department of Lands 2003–11
• Chief Executive of the Land and Property Management Authority (LPMA), 2000–11
• Surveyor-General of New South Wales 2000–11
• Registrar-General, 2003–11.

He also held a range of inter-governmental appointments including Deputy Commissioner of the Murray Darling Basin Commission 1992–95, Chair of the Total Catchment Management Coordinating Committee and Deputy Chair of the CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship Board. Watkins was Chairman of the Australian New Zealand Land Information Council, 2000–2011.

With a career of 41 years, Watkins was dismissed from the NSW Public Service after the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) found in December 2011 that Watkins acted corruptly. Watkins admitted he had used a letter backdated by former planning minister Tony Kelly to mislead investigators.[3][4]

On 20 June 2011, ICAC announced that it would hold a public inquiry into matters arising from the purchase of property at Currawong, Pittwater by the NSW Government. Specifically, purchase involved four properties at Currawong, Pittwater, were purchased for $12.2 million on 15 March 2011 by Watkins on behalf of the NSW Government from the owner, Eco Villages Australia Pty Limited. The properties were previously owned by a NSW union. ICAC held a public inquiry over 11 days during June and July 2011. The ICAC Commissioner, the Hon. David Ipp AO QC, presided at the public inquiry. Twenty-one witnesses gave evidence. ICAC concluded its investigation in mid-December. ICAC found that the Minister for Lands Tony Kelly engaged in corrupt conduct with respect to the purchase of the property by the NSW Government. Specifically, ICAC found that Kelly, authorised the purchase even though he knew he was not authorised to do so, and that he backdated a letter to before the caretaker period of government commenced, knowing that it would be used by a public servant to falsely represent that written authority had been given to authorise the purchase. That public servant was Watkins, Director General of the Department of Lands.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

The property purchase was undertaken during the caretaker period of government – that period of time between the announcement of the calling of the state elections and the forming of the government after the elections. The NSW state elections were held on 25 March 2011. As the property purchase should not to be undertaken during the caretaker period, the legitimacy of authorisation was quickly raised within the senior levels of the public service. On 17 March 2011 the Director General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet NSW requested the Internal Audit Bureau (IAB) to investigate Watkins' authority to purchase the site and on 18 March 2011 Watkins was stood down from the public service. Subsequently, Watkins contacted Kelly and asked if he would sign a letter, backdated to 28 February 2011, that would authorise Watkins to purchase the Currawong property. The effect of the backdating of the letter was to convey that prior authority had been given by the NSW Premier Kristina Keneally on 25 February 2011, in her letter to Minister Kelly. Watkins claimed the letter to Kelly dated 25 February 2011 from Premier Keneally authorised the purchase of the site, and he acted on the direction of Minister Kelly's letter dated 28 February 2011. However, ICAC found that the Premier's letter only authorised negotiations and did not actually authorise Watkins to purchase the site. Further, ICAC's investigations confirmed that Kelly's letter to Watkins had been fraudulently backdated. ICAC also produced evidence that Watkins organised a secret rendezvous with staffer, Costello where he discussed his evidence. This action by Watkins took place despite ICAC warning Watkins not to discuss evidence and meet with other witnesses. This was also a breach of ICAC by Costello. ICAC's opinion was that the matter be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions with respect to the prosecution of Watkins, Kelly and Costello for various criminal offences.[15]

Arising from ICAC's investigation and DPP advice, it is significant that only Watkins would face criminal charges and be convicted.[16][17] Watkins faced criminal charges in the NSW Local Court where it was reported he could have received 10 years imprisonment. Keneally testified that she only authorised Watkins to start negotiating with the developer who owned the property. She testified that he was not authorised to complete the purchase by agreeing to the $12 million deal. Keneally confirmed that Watkins proceeded without the authorisation from the executive level of government and it occurred when the government was in caretaker mode.[18] Watkins faced court in December 2013. Two of the charges were dismissed by the Court. However, Watkins was convicted on the further two charges of misleading ICAC, to which he had pleaded guilty and was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond. [19][20][21][22]

Watkins was Chairman of ANZLIC, the Australian New Zealand Land Information Council, 2000–2011, when he was dismissed from the NSW Public Service. ANZLIC labels itself as the Spatial Information Council and claims to be "the peak intergovernmental organisation providing leadership in the collection, management and use of spatial information in Australia and New Zealand." [23]

ANZLIC chair appointments are typically only for two years, but Watkins held the chair for more than eleven. Drew Clarke immediately replaced Watkins as Chair of ANZLIC and remained as Chair until mid 2015.[24]

ANZLIC, under Watkins’ chairmanship, instigated the national Spatial Information Industry Action Agenda and received federal ministerial endorsement. The objectives of the Action Agenda were to identify opportunities and impediments to the progress of the spatial information industry and to develop a policy framework that would underpin growth through a commercially successful and internationally competitive Australian industry.[25] Warren Entsch, then Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Science and Resources, launched the establishment of a steering group to drive the Spatial Information Industry Action Agenda in November 2000.[26] The Action Agenda was released in September 2001.[27] Under the Spatial Information Industry Action Agenda, on 25 September 2001, then Minister for Industry, Science and Resources, Senator Nick Minchin announced a $2 million Grant to a consortium of private "spatial firms" to increase the effectiveness of spatial information.[28] ASIBA was identified as the industry body to lead most of the responsibility under the action agenda. Minchin also identified the key intergovernmental roles of ANZLIC under the Action Agenda.[29] Elizabeth O'Keeffe, the ANZLIC delegate for Victoria, represented Watkins on the steering committee for the Spatial Information Industry Action Agenda. The Cooperative Research Centre, CRC for Spatial Information (CRCSI) also arose as initiative under the action agenda, receiving federal funding. Watkins served as a Director of CRCSI until he resigned in 2011. The CRCSI 2011-12 Annual Report (page 12) reports Watkins resigned "following his retirement from the NSW government". [30]

Watkins was awarded Member of the Order of Australia "for service to spatial information and natural resource management through leadership roles within a range of public sector agencies". He was also made an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Surveyors NSW (ISNSW) in 2005. Other awards included Fellow of the Australian Property Institute, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. However, his criminal convictions following the ICAC investigations led to him being stripped of some of the awards. On 23 October 2014, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors expelled Watkins from the Institution and he automatically lost his Fellowship.[31] The Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 29 February 2016, issued notice that the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove, had terminated Watkins appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia.[32] ISNSW suspended Watkins' Honorary Fellowship in 2019. [33]

Watkins's died from cancer on 12 November 2019. The media reporting of his death reiterated his sacking from the NSW Public Service and his criminal convictions.[22]