2022 UNE Distinguished Alumni Award winner - Mr Barry Buffier AM
In recognition of his significant public service contribution in the areas of environmental protection and agriculture.
Former senior NSW public servant Barry Buffier is not one to shy away from a challenge. And that’s just as well, given he’s spent much of his professional life in the maelstrom of politics.
For almost 40 years he led a variety of departments, advising Ministerial Councils, Ministers and governments of all persuasions on the most contentious of issues. From Sydney’s late-night lock-out laws and controversial coal mine licences to locust plagues, pesticide use and gaming regulations, his remit was subject to close scrutiny.
But Barry – a UNE Distinguished Alumni Award winner for 2022 – is being universally recognised for his ability to say “no Minister” in pursuit of good public policy. Not for him expedient “political fixes”; rather integrity, transparency, “the contest of ideas” and an independent, non-partisan public service.
“Some will have found my approach very challenging at times,” Barry admits. “But I have always sought to thoroughly understand each issue, with a view to developing a position that stands up to rigorous investigation.”
Former NSW Government Minister George Souris dealt with Barry during his 27 years in parliament and throughout countless changes of government. “Only a very astute and dedicated, hard-working public servant could survive the ebb and flow of such a multitude of responsibilities,” said Mr Souris, who ranks Barry as “one of the best half dozen public servants” he engaged, who could be trusted to give advice that was “impeccably thought-out and developed and all consequences considered”.
That capacity for critical thinking, Barry says, can be traced back to his Bachelor of Rural Science studies at UNE in the late 1960s under legendary Professor Bill McClymont, whose ground-breaking teachings about agricultural ecosystems and environmental sustainability left an indelible impact on the farm boy.
The issue of climate change really resonated with me because of what I’d been introduced to at UNE.
“Bill was well before his time and I have had plenty of opportunities to implement what I learned,” said Barry, who spent the last six years of his full-time career as Chair and CEO of the NSW Environment Protection Authority. “The issue of climate change really resonated with me because of what I’d been introduced to at UNE. I have also valued my education in scientific method, which has helped me to understand where the truth really lies.”
After completing his Rural Science degree, Barry added a UNE Masters in Economics to his qualifications while employed by NSW Agriculture. By 1990 he was Deputy Director General of the department and he subsequently joined Westpac as National Manager, Agribusiness, a position he held for eight years.
It was at this time, while serving on the board of SunRice with then chair Gerry Lawson, that Barry helped achieve an outcome that, even today, makes him smile. “We had been trying for many years to develop new export opportunities for Australian rice,” Barry recalls. “Then Japan had one of the coldest summers ever, their rice crop was down and they suddenly needed to import rice. All the stars aligned and we were able to export 100,000-plus tonnes to Japan. I didn’t think it would succeed so spectacularly, given the strong Japanese Government resistance.”
By 2004, Barry was again back on “home soil”, serving as Director-General of the NSW Department of Primary Industries, but the challenges kept coming thick and fast. First, he was tasked with amalgamating four stand-alone departments. Then the state was beset by a string of natural disasters and emergencies, including drought, locust plagues and a deadly outbreak of the exotic disease equine influenza.
Challenges are part of the stimulation I like to have in my work
“Challenges are part of the stimulation I like to have in my work,” Barry says. “I like to deal with difficult issues and reach a resolution. You can’t win them all, but often what you are trying to achieve can be improved by asking difficult questions and being prepared to take on the criticisms and input of others.”
Senior leadership roles with the NSW Department of State and Regional Development, NSW Tourism, and Industry and Investment NSW accounted for the next four years of Barry’s career, before he became head of the environmental regulator in 2012.
A strong supporter of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), he argues that it has been a force for the better in mitigating against corruption in the NSW public service. Descriptions of it as a “kangaroo court” display contemptuous ignorance of the critical role it plays, he says.
“The public service is about doing things that benefit the public and support the public good. You can’t do that in an organisation unless you have integrity yourself or if the organisation’s integrity is under question. The separation of powers under the Westminster system is absolutely crucial for the operation of the public service, and the ICAC reinforces that corruption is not an acceptable form of business in the state.”
Former NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley once famously described Barry as the most powerful public servant in the state. George Souris says he was a “go-to” man who could “find solutions to complex problems in government, to deliver complex initiatives or to settle warring parties, including ministers, departments and constituents”. His peers and colleagues celebrate a man who championed inclusivity and diversity in every workplace he belonged to.
In 2015, Barry’s "significant service to public administration” was formally recognised when he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia. His experience and expertise has been equally valued by the many statutory boards, committees and authorities to which he has been appointed.
Since leaving what he describes as “a meaningful career” in the public service in 2018, Barry has continued to be an active advocate for climate change action and is a strong supporter of Independents in Parliament, which he says result in “better quality legislation and outcomes”. He sold his cattle property earlier this year, ending his own days of primary production, but it gives him time to work as an environmental consultant (including pro bono work) and to support his local “Teal” Independent.
“I continue to be amazed and intrigued by nature and the world we live in,” Barry says. “But it is such a fragile environment rapidly approaching a catastrophic tipping point, so we should value what we have and protect it for future generations.”
