Richard Yeeles

Richard Yeeles in an English-born Australian businessman and former senior South Australian public servant with interests in the resources sector, particularly uranium mining and processing.

Career Yeeles has worked at the Olympic Dam mine near Roxby Downs in South Australia under the management of Western Mining Corporation and later BHP Billiton during their open-pit expansion proposal. Yeeles holds the position of Corporate Affairs Manager at BHP Billiton and was appointed Approvals and Community Director of the Australian Securities Exchange listed uranium explorer and prospective mining company Toro Energy in October 2009.

Yeeles entered the resource sector in 1996, having previously held several key senior positions within the Government of South Australia including Chief of Staff for both the Premier and Opposition Leader, Press Secretary and Manager of Public Relations. Yeeles worked as Chief of Staff for Liberal party opposition leader Dale Baker in 1989. In the 1990s he was Baker's closest confidante and adviser and remains a close friend. Yeeles began his professional life as a cadet journalist for the ABC and is the editor and author of two books about former South Australian premier, Don Dunstan.

Yeeles was appointed as a member of the Resources Industry Development Board in 2008. The board provides policy advice to the Government of South Australia.

In 2016, he was appointed Policy Director of the Liberal Party of South Australia.

Olympic Dam mine Richard Yeeles has worked on the Olympic Dam mine project since 1996.

Kanck's allegation claimed that waste precipitated to the bottom of one of the very large separation tanks and set like cement and that workers were contaminated on the first day of excavation. Her account stated that "they sent Geiger counters ‘off the scale' when they entered the lunch room. They had taken off their protective clothing and washed but still had a comparatively high level of radiation on their bodies."

1999 uranium processing plant fire On 24 December 1999 a fire occurred at the Olympic Dam uranium processing plant. Richard Yeeles told the media that the fire caused no injuries, and that there was "certainly no effect to public health at all". He described the fire as burning kerosene in a solvent collection pond. He also stated that there was no contact between the fire and any radioactive material, and that the wind was blowing from the south (suggesting that any smoke would travel away from the township of Roxby Downs). The desalination plant received environmental approval, but as of 2015 has not been constructed.

Publications

1978 Don Dunstan compilation Yeeles compiled content for the book Don Dunstan – The first 25 years in Parliament, which was published in 1978. Yeeles was inspired to produce the book during the years 1970–1974 when he was a Parliamentary reporter with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

2014 Don Dunstan biography In 2014 Yeeles published a Don Dunstan biography as an e-book entitled: Don't Ask. Don't Tell.: Too long untold – Don Dunstan in life and politics. The book purports to contain "new perspectives on the controversies of his life, including some personally corrupt behavior, the sacking of a police commissioner and his banning of uranium mining" with reference to documentary evidence.

Public responses to the book were varied, ranging from criticisms that the book was "pulling him down from the pedestal... almost vicious at times and unbalanced" through to compliments for "a very, very thorough and important work."