RESOURCES Minister Martin Ferguson has announced the appointment of senior commonwealth public servant David Borthwick to lead an inquiry into a major oil spill off the Western Australian coast.
Borthwick recently retired as the secretary of the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. As commissioner of the inquiry into the spill, Borthwick would have his former department's resources at his disposal, as well as the authority to employ expert assistance.
The oil began leaking on 21 August 2009 in PTTEP Australasia's Montara field near the West Atlas oil rig, more than 200km northwest of Western Australia's Kimberley coastline, and was only plugged on 3 November 2009.
Ferguson says the inquiry will help determine the likely cause of the incident, the adequacy of the regulatory regime, the performance of relevant people acting under that regime, the adequacy of the response, and the environmental impact of the spill.
Borthwick will make recommendations to ministers, regulators and the industry on measures that might mitigate the chances of similar incidents occurring in the future.
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