Rice growers attack Rice Marketing Board over SunRice director positions

Rice growers are upset their top Rice Marketing Board poll choice Melissa De Bortoli was overlooked for a SunRice board position.

Rice growers are up in arms about a decision by the Rice Marketing Board to exclude its election leader Melissa De Bortoli from the board of SunRice.

The Rice Marketing Board has been lashed by some rice growers for not appointing Melissa De Bortoli, of the well-known wine producing family, to the board of SunRice.

That’s despite Ms De Bortoli, an active rice farmer, topping growers’ votes in last month’s RMB election from four candidates.

In the past, all three grower RMB directors would automatically sit on the SunRice board.

But SunRice has trimmed its board numbers, resulting in space for only two of the three RMB grower directors to sit around its table.

A RMB selection panel made up of chairman John Culleton, deputy chair Victoria Taylor and former director Gillian Kirkup chose Mr Bradford and Mr Mason ahead of Ms De Bortoli, based on a number of criteria, including number of votes garnered at the election, rice industry knowledge and experience, understanding of director roles and responsibilities and fitting a matrix of skills in both rice bodies’ boards.

The move has angered a number of growers, with one of the Riverina’s biggest rice producers, John Bonetti, of Griffith, saying it was “bloody crazy stuff”.

“She topped the vote but got demoted to third position,” Mr Bonetti said.

Deniliquin rice grower Andrew Burge said the RMB government-appointed members made a “real blue”.

“I think Melissa’s qualifications would be a real asset to the company (SunRice),” Mr Burge said.

Northern Riverina rice grower Ian Blight said the decision meant SunRice now had only one female director on its board.

Mr Culleton said the selection process was made quite clear by him in a letter to growers last April and that election to the RMB board did not necessarily guarantee a position as a SunRice director.

“I respect that some people are going to be disappointed,” he said.

“But the purpose of the RMB election is to elect people to the RMB.

“SunRice gender representation on its board is a matter for SunRice.”

Ms De Bortoli said she was disappointed in not being selected for the SunRice board but was “looking forward to showing my value on the RMB board”.