The NSW government has appointed the Hon. Craig Knowles AM as the new chair of the WaterNSW board of directors. Water Minister Rose Jackson pointed to the need for strong, seasoned leadership at the agency as the state moves through a heavy stretch of infrastructure investment and reform
WaterNSW oversees 41 dams and stands as the state’s biggest water supplier, feeding both cities and country towns while also managing flows set aside for the environment.
Knowles isn’t new to the sector. He’s chaired the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) since it was set up in 2017, a run spanning four water ministers and three different governments. Before that, he headed the Murray Darling Basin Authority and spoke for Australia at a UN forum on water and energy in 2014. His 11 years as a state minister included oversight of the Sydney and Hunter water corporations, and he picked up a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015 for his work in local government, state parliament and the community.
He replaces Peter Duncan AM, whose four years leading the board, since March 2022, are now coming to a close.
Jackson pointed to Knowles’ mix of ministerial experience and his decade spent shaping NRAR from the ground up as reasons for confidence in the appointment, while also thanking Duncan for his years running the board. Knowles, in turn, praised Duncan’s role in guiding WaterNSW through a stretch of major change, and said he’s keen to get to work with the board and staff to keep essential water services flowing to communities across the state.
