Queensland's Stanwell Corporation has parted ways with its chief executive, Michael O'Rourke, after the government-owned energy company's board quietly published an announcement on Monday 19 October declaring it was the "right time for a leadership transition". The move leaves CleanCo as the only one of Queensland's five state-owned energy companies not to have seen a change of chief executive since the Crisafulli LNP government came to power two years ago.
A low-key departure for a long-serving executive
O'Rourke had held the top role at Stanwell since November 2021, having first joined the corporation back in 1998, making him one of the longest-serving figures in Queensland's state energy sector. His total remuneration package, as recorded in the 2025-26 annual report, stood at $1.1 million.
Despite the significance of the departure, the announcement received minimal public attention. The statement was uploaded to Stanwell's website but was not distributed via the corporation's media email list and did not appear on its social media channels. Neither Treasurer David Janetzki, who was quoted in the statement praising O'Rourke, nor Finance Minister Ros Bates, the government's other shareholding minister, appears to have more widely publicised the news.
Stanwell board chair Justin Parer, a former Young LNP president who moved into the chairmanship from a port authority appointment last October, thanked O'Rourke for his contribution. "Michael has played an important role in guiding Stanwell through a period of considerable change, strengthening the business and helping position it for the future," Parer said in the statement.
Stanwell's chief operating officer, James Oliver, has been appointed to act in the role on a temporary basis, with O'Rourke's assistance during the transition, while a formal recruitment process for a permanent replacement gets underway.
Stanwell's operations and O'Rourke's predecessor
Stanwell Corporation operates two of Queensland's largest coal-fired power stations, located at Stanwell near Rockhampton and at Tarong, as well as holding interests in battery storage and wind energy. The company sits at the centre of the state's ongoing debate over the future of fossil fuel generation versus renewables.
O'Rourke's predecessor in the chief executive role, Richard Van Breda, resigned just days after making public remarks that pointed to the possible early retirement of the corporation's coal-fired plants, a politically sensitive topic for a government that has made no secret of its more favourable stance toward coal power.
Sweeping governance changes across the Queensland energy sector
O'Rourke's exit is the latest in a broader wave of leadership changes across Queensland's state-owned energy bodies since the LNP took office. The Crisafulli government has overseen a marked shift in energy policy, redirecting focus away from renewables and back toward fossil fuel generation, and that pivot has been accompanied by widespread board and executive turnover.
A Queensland Audit Office report published earlier this year flagged serious concerns about this churn, noting that "almost all board chairs and 76 per cent of board roles" had changed since the election. The report warned the scale of turnover risked a significant loss of corporate knowledge across the sector.
For those tracking how energy companies are navigating the transition to new technologies, the leadership instability raises questions about strategic continuity at a critical moment for the grid.
O'Rourke, Janetzki's office, and Stanwell have all been approached for comment.
