Southern Downs Regional Council has announced the appointment of two new executive team members – who will commence their tenure before the end of the year – following a recruitment process that attracted nationwide interest.

On 16 November 2021, Gary Murphy will commence as Director Infrastructure Services and Rebecca Stockfeld will take up the position as Director Planning and Environmental Services on 6 December 2021.

Currently employed at Isaac Regional Council in the role of Director Water and Waste, Gary manages 75 staff and an operational budget of $35m. He has the functional responsibility for waste, wastewater, recycled water and waste, eight water treatment plants, six wastewater plants, four landfills, six transfer stations, one Category 1 Referrable Dam and six recycled water systems. He has also been employed as Executive Director – Infrastructure Services at Lismore City Council and Executive Manager Infrastructure and Environment and Director Works at Richmond Valley Council.

With more than 20 years experience in state and local government, Rebecca joins Council after leading a large directorate at Central Goldfield Shire Council, overseeing assets, major projects, operations, waste, statutory and strategic planning, local laws and economic development. Rebecca holds tertiary qualifications from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne University, Swinburne University of Technology and University of Technology Sydney.

Council CEO Dave Burges said he was not surprised with the level of interest of high-quality applicants as the region is renowned for its liveability and economic growth. β€œWe were very pleased to review a high number of very qualified professionals and the recruitment search net was cast far and wide to capture the attention of the nation’s best in their field,” Mr Burges said. β€œBoth Gary and Rebecca are extremely qualified in their areas of expertise and well respected in the industries where they have honed and plied their skills over many years,” he added.

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