New Rio Tinto Weipa operations general manager Steve Dunstone says it is “really critical” the organisation works with stakeholders to plan for the long-term sustainability of the township. Photo: Lyndon Keane.
After little more than a month in the role, the new Weipa operations general manager for Rio Tinto has barely had time to explore his new backyard as he gears up to help the mining giant and community look towards the future.
Steve Dunstone has replaced Shona Markham in the company’s top job after moving to Cape York from the Northern Territory township of Nhulunbuy with his wife, Sian and two children – Ezra, 5, and Matilda, 3 – to take up the posting.
Speaking to Cape York Weekly after experiencing his first Weipa Rodeo, Mr Dunstone said his family had quickly fallen in love with the welcoming attitude of the Weipa community.
“What we’ve absolutely noticed really quickly, is how welcoming of a town it is, just all of the different people,” he said.
“It’s a really friendly place, so it’s been really nice as new people.”
From sampling hamburgers and the water park in Mapoon to scoping out some local camping spots, Mr Dunstone said he could see similarities between Weipa and Nhulunbuy, but added he believed Cape York’s layout would open up plenty more opportunities for regular exploration.
“I feel like the Cape’s got a much bigger area, so we can’t wait to check it out now,” he said.
“That was part of the attraction to move here … being able to drive to more locations.
“We’ll be up in the [Northern Peninsula Area] in two weeks for the rodeo, and we’ll get up to the tip and just all the camping locations, we can’t wait for that.
“We’ve got years of exploring to be able to do in that time, which is really cool.”
With operational expansions and closures scheduled for the coming decade at Amrun and Andoom, Mr Dunstone said it was impossible not to step into the role without keeping at least one eye on the future of Weipa and the eventual transition to normalisation in a post-mining environment.
“A bigger part of the role in Weipa is the community aspect – it’s probably a lot bigger than a lot of the other GM roles in our business,” he said.
“There’s some really key things over the next few years for Weipa; we’ve just shut East Weipa this year [and] we’ve got a project to look at the expansion of Amrun down south that’ll play out over the next 12, 18 months, and that’s a significant piece of work for Rio Tinto and a big part of the future for the Cape.
“I think it’s (normalisation) important to talk about over time and my experience, I’ve just come from Gove, which is in the middle of this process, so moving from effectively a Rio Tinto corporation to a normalised government in the future.
“I think for Weipa, it’s a complex issue in terms of lots of stakeholders with lots of different views, and we just need to understand that over time, and within Rio Tinto as well, be clear on our position.”
Mr Dunstone said he believed it was critical the community aspect of a “strong, vibrant Weipa” remained intact to ensure the longevity of the township.
“We’ve got existing operations, and a township that’s been running 60 years and really well,” he said.
“It’s a great community, and we need to make sure we protect that for as long as we can, and as long as we’re here, which is a long time.”
