Professor Rae Mackay has been appointed as the first Latrobe Valley Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner.
Professor Mackay, a Latrobe Valley local, has more than three decades of experience as an engineer, hydro-geologist and academic both in Australia and around the world.
He has most recently served as the Director of Federation University’s Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Engineering Research Group based in Churchill.
Professor Mackay has had first-hand exposure to some of the unique challenges associated with mine rehabilitation in the Latrobe Valley.
He has previously served in senior academic postings in the United Kingdom, including time as Head of the Hydrogeology Research Group and School of Earth Sciences at the University of Birmingham. He was also Director of the Centre for Land Use and Water Resources Research at the University of Newcastle.
The new Commissioner will provide independent advice directly to the Government on mine rehabilitation, oversee rehabilitation planning and help develop the Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy.
Professor Mackay will work closely with the community, stakeholders and Latrobe Valley mine operators and the Latrobe Valley Mine Rehabilitation Advisory Committee.
The appointment of the Commissioner delivers on a key recommendation from the reopened Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry.