Tony Waite

Department of the Attorney-General and Justice

I first joined the Northern Territory Public Service in 1979 as an Environmental Hydrogeologist with the former Department of Transport and Works, assisting landowners to find groundwater.

In 1981, I joined the Department of Mines and Energy as a Petroleum Geologist, spending the majority of the next 24 years in a number of senior roles involved in the Territory’s oil and gas industry including Senior Pipeline Engineer, Petroleum Advisor, Senior Environmental Scientist and Director of Energy. During the this period, oil and gas production expanded in the Palm Valley and Mereenie Oil and Gas fields in Central Australia along with multiple offshore oilfield developments. The Amadeus Gas Pipeline was also commissioned, supplying Central Australian gas to Katherine and Darwin.

In 2008, I joined NT WorkSafe as the Northern Territory’s Manager of Major Hazard Facilities, and was part of the executive team that implemented the model work health and safety legislation in the Northern Territory in 2011. My primary responsibility was ensuring the 12 declared major hazard facilities in the Northern Territory operated safely and in accordance with the work health and safety legislation. In recent years, I held the Director Operations position and I lead the Mining and Electrical Safety Inspectors as the Director Technical Services, as well as being the Competent Authority under the dangerous goods legislation.

In my 43 years of services, I have also worked in the Department of Lands Planning and Environment; Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development; and the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines.

Holding multiple Tertiary qualifications in Management, Safety, Applied Sciences and IT, I continue to be very passionate about my work and mentoring younger Inspectors that commence with NT WorkSafe.