Time for an outside perspective on dairy advisory committee

Proper process and governance is lacking for selection of the Dairy Levy Poll Advisory Committee, writes Bernie Free

Is it time to adopt fresh pastures and drop the herd mentality for dairy committee selection?

HOW do you make appointments to a committee when you only interview a select group?

I personally was interviewed for the Dairy Levy Poll Advisory Committee, however two other people in the region who applied were not.

Why?

Why, once again, must dairy farmers become victims of poor business ethics?

Where is the proper process and governance within our leadership and dairy organisations?

It appears to have exited the building.

Ian Morris, a dairy farmer, current secretary of Corangamite United Dairyfarmers of Victoria and retired economist who worked with the World Bank and Bruce Knowles, a former proactive leader in New Zealand’s dairy advocacy and who is the Wannon region’s representative on both Australian Dairy Farmers National Council and UDV Policy Council were not interviewed. Why?

Allegedly 25 candidates applied.

Both Ian Morris and Bruce Knowles have demonstrated to the regions and our national dairy leaders that they have vast experience outside the Australian dairy industry, experience which enables them to bring an outside perspective as to how the best result might be achieved.

An outside perspective that is clearly needed when you consider how ineffective our dairy leaders have been and how the NewCOB was enabled and why we have had more than $1.4m spent via the Australian Dairy Plan with very little to show for what was another ineffective club-style event.

Grassroots dairy farmers have had enough of that club mentality, which has taken us on a steady decline over 15 years, while our counterparts in New Zealand and Ireland have benefited from visionary and inclusive leadership.

There are 12 levy payers on the committee, of those 12 how many have no conflicts of interest?

There is direct interest in DA, processors, and state and national advocacy groups.

So why would Mr Morris and Mr Knowles have been overlooked for an interview?

Is it because they and many of the grassroot farmers in the regions of Wannon and Corangamite have questioned the legality and validity of what has been dished historically and now currently without question or debate?

Is this another controlled, staged exercise with compliant participants selected from the noisy Western District so that the predetermined outcome is achieved?

● Bernie Free is Dairy Farmer Voice spokesman

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