Newsroom

March 13, 2025

Katter’s Australian Party Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter has today made public growing community concerns that Powerlink Board Chair, Kathy Hirschfeld, in her capacity as board member and shareholder of Central Petroleum, may have a conflict of interest in relation to decisions regarding the CopperString Project.

Mr Katter is calling for the Government to remove Ms Hirschfeld from the Powerlink Board and the CopperString delivery committee while her role in the delivery of the CopperString project and potential conflict of interest is fully investigated.

The Traeger MP said industry players and the broader North Queensland community were losing faith in Powerlink given the lack of material progress on construction of CopperString, as well as growing concerns about the commitment of the board to seeing the project – which has bipartisan support – through to completion.

“I am putting on record today, and advising the Energy Minister and of course the Premier, that concerns are growing rapidly across the region that Powerlink is not serious about this project and are taking their government – and the former Labor Government who first commissioned and funded the project – for an absolute ride,” he said.

“I have made this point previously and I will make it again that there are deep concerns, which I share, that Powerlink under CEO, Paul Simshauser, is mishandling CopperString delivery and that he may be working behind the scenes to delay or undermine connection of the North West Minerals Province.

“As a result, I again re-iterate my calls for the CEO to be removed from his position and, additionally, I call for the Government to stand down Ms Hirschfield from her positions associated with Powerlink and CopperString until these allegations are investigated.

“The Energy Minister, and the Premier, need to urgently reassure the community and businesses of North and North West Queensland that Powerlink's CEO and leadership are as committed as the Government to delivering CopperString as quickly and efficiently as possible, and provide details of the oversight that is in place to keep the Powerlink CEO accountable.”

Key background:

Kathy Hirschfeld potential conflict of interest

• Kathy Hirschfeld, was appointed Powerlink Chair in 2018, in the same year she was appointed as a Director of Central Petroleum Ltd, an oil and gas producer with operations and tenements in Queensland and the Northern Territory.
• Ms Hirschfeld is a shareholder in Central Petroleum and also sits on Powerlink's CopperString delivery committee.
• Central Petroleum have had a number of significant commercial arrangements with APA Group, including gas transport agreements and shared development interests in Project Range, which in 2022 received unspecified amount of Federal Government funding, provided to APA, for development works (link: https://www.listcorp.com/asx/apa/apa-group/news/ctp-federal-government-funding-for-project-range-2692457.html)
• APA owns the only major power stations in the North West Minerals Province.
• APA have been a vocal opponent of CopperString.
• APA stands to lose significant market power once CopperString is built.
• It is unclear whether Kathy Hirschfeld has disclosed the relationship between APA and Central Petroleum, and it is unclear what interactions APA has had with Ms Hirschfeld, and other Powerlink stakeholders.

Powerlink’s handling of CopperString project

• Powerlink have been solely responsible for delivery of CopperString for two years, in which time not a single tower has been erected, and multiple changes to the project have been made causing significant delays
• Given recent comments by Powerlink CEO Paul Simshauser regarding further changes to the project schedule, community leaders are concerned of further unnecessary delays
• Despite being paid more than $1 million per year, Powerlink's CEO is losing the confidence of community leaders, and his intentions and capacity to deliver the project in-line with the Government's commitment is being called into question
• Communities and businesses in Townsville and the North West have taken Powerlink's community advocacy and commitment to CopperString at face value and if their CEO is working against the project through back room lobbying and unnecessary delays and cost increases he needs to be stood down immediately.