Patron of PATREC

His Excellency Dr Kenneth Michael, AC
Governor of Western Australia
Patron of Planning and Transport Research Centre
Dr Ken Michael AC, Governor of Western Australia since January 2006, is a distinguished engineer, and former Commissioner of Main Roads WA, member of the Western Australian Planning Commission and Chancellor of The University of Western Australia, all now closely associated with the Planning and Transport Research Centre (PATREC).

He completed a Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours in Civil Engineering in 1961, and in doing so received the James A Wood Memorial Prize.

He started his career as a bridge design engineer with the Main Roads Department, before travelling, a few years later, with his newly married wife Julie to London under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan to undertake postgraduate studies at the Imperial College of Science and Technology. His postgraduate studies and research at Imperial College culminated in Dr Michael being awarded a PhD degree in engineering from the University of London in 1968.

He returned to Main Roads to continue his work on bridge design and some years later, in 1976, was transferred to Geraldton with his wife and young family as Divisional Engineer (now referred to as Regional Manager) of the Geraldton Region. He returned to Perth in 1979, where he continued his work on bridges, before broadening his career into road design, construction and management.

In 1991, he was appointed Commissioner of Main Roads, a position he held for over six years, which extended the scope of his activities to the national and international arena, including his appointment as Australia's First Delegate to the Permanent International Association of Road Congresses (World Road Association). He was also a member of the West Australian Planning Commission, and concurrently held the position of Public Service Commissioner with that of Commissioner of Main Roads for just over a year from August 1993.

In August 1997, he retired from the public service to start his consulting engineering and management practice. In his private capacity, he also had the opportunity to become involved in a number of other areas of interest.

Until the end of 2003, Dr Michael was the Western Australian Independent Gas Pipelines Access Regulator for almost 5 years and concurrently was also the Acting Rail Access Regulator for just over 2 years. Until December 2005 he was also a member of the Economic Regulation Authority, a new organisation which subsumed both positions from 1 January 2004.

He served on the Board of the East Perth Redevelopment Authority from its inception in 1992 and was its Chairman in recent years. He was also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Western Australian Museum for more than seven years.

Dr Michael was elected to the University of Western Australia's governing body - the Senate - in March 1998, and elected Pro Chancellor in the same year. His appointment as Chancellor in April 2001 was for a term of four years. In 2004 the Senate extended Dr Michael's appointment as Chancellor for a further term of four years.

In 1996, Dr Michael was honoured with membership of the General Division in the Order of Australia for public service and services to engineering and in 2006 became a Companion in the Order of Australia for wide ranging community service of lasting benefit, particularly in the development and management of road transport systems, engineering, tertiary education, cultural institutions and the Greek community.

His comprehensive list of professional affiliations include Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management. He is also a member of the Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australia.

More information is available from the Official Government House Website.