THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has acknowledged the distinguished career of Gary Sansom, AM, who passed away earlier this week.
QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said Mr Sansom was widely respected by QRC members for his preparedness to give the resource industry a fair hearing on any issue and for his greatly valued advice.
“Gary’s time as president of the Farmers’ Federation was a tumultuous one when resource prices were surging, and a wave of investment in new projects were proposed in Queensland,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“These new resource projects were proposed in areas with no history of mining or exploration.
“During this challenging period of change Gary made sure that the QFF was on the front foot, negotiating a new land access regime in Queensland.
“The new land access process was fair and reasonable and a significant improvement on the system it replaced.
“Similarly, on strategic cropping land, Gary worked with the resource industry to ensure that farmers had a fair say in identifying and protecting Queensland’s most productive soils. He earned enduring respect within the resource industry for his calm yet determined approach to find a reasonable solution that worked for all the stakeholders.
“Gary was a once-in-a-generation leader whose hallmark was being prepared to roll up his sleeves and thrash out sensible solutions to the hard issues. He was a great communicator, effective negotiator and a tireless advocate for improving agriculture for rural and regional Queensland.”
Mr Sansom and and Mr Macfarlane served together on the executive of the Queensland Farmers’ Federation in the 1990s. Mr Sansom went on to become president of the QFF from 2001 to 2011.
QRC extended its condolences to Gary’s family for their sad loss, saying he will be greatly missed.
