Downer joins Lakes Oil as Rinehart board appointee FORMER Howard-era foreign minister Alexander Downer has joined the board of Lakes Oil as a nominee of Gina Rinehart-owned Hancock Prospecting only days after it bought a 18.6 per cent shares in the oil and gas explorer. Mr Downer is Ms Rinehart's second appointee to the board of Lakes Oil following an earlier appointment of climate change sceptic and mining geologist Professor Ian Plimer. Since retiring from politics, Mr Downer has joined numerous boards including Huawei Technologies, a Chinese telecommunications equipment maker, which has been unofficially banned from tendering for the National Broadband Network for security reasons. Mr Downer recently received the nation's highest honour-the Companion of the Order of Australia-on Australia Day in recognition of his service as the longest-serving foreign minister.