Hatton to chair EPA

Tom Hatton has been named the next chair of the WA Environmental Protection Authority, succeeding Paul Vogel who announced his retirement last week.

Environment Minister Albert Jacob today announced that Dr Hatton would be appointed to a five-year term beginning when current chair Paul Vogel steps down in November.

Dr Hatton has sat on the EPA board since November last year and currently chairs the WA Marine Parks and Reserves Authority.

Previously, Dr Hatton was a member of the CSIRO group executive of energy and has extensive experience in the areas of energy, marine, water management and salinity.

He was director of the CSIRO wealth from oceans flagship from 2009 to 2012 and of the CSIRO’s water for a healthy country flagship from 2006 to 2009.

An adjunct professor at the University of Western Australia, Dr Hatton serves on the board of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research as well as the UWA Oceans Institute’s advisory board.

EP deputy chair Robert Harvey will be reappointed for another five-year term in his position.

Mr Harvey has been an EPA board member since 2012 and a member of the WA Planning Commission since 2010.

The government will soon seek expressions of interest in order to fill the empty position on the five member board that Dr Vogel’s departure will create.