WAFarmers boss sets policy goals

Five months in the hot seat has paid dividends for Trevor Whittington, who this week inked his contract as chief executive of WAFarmers.

Mr Whittington took on the acting role in August after the sudden departure of Trent Kensett-Smith, who left after 11 months at the helm to work as Rabobank’s Perth branch manager.

While initially appointed in a two-month role, Mr Whittington said he had decided to stay on to help WAFarmers maximise its political impact ahead of the Federal election.

He came to WAFarmers in the midst of two of the organisation’s biggest battles, defending live export and glyphosate against severe public scrutiny.

“My whole career has been linked to agriculture in one form or another,” Mr Whittington said.

“I grew up on a farm, I studied economics and politics, worked on grain farms in the UK, owned and operated agribusinesses and worked for an agriculture minister.

“I have a strong understanding of how government thinks and works and how to best position WAFarmers to maximise its political impact.”

Mr Whittington said his immediate focus would be on the Federal election and putting forward policy positions which “supported agriculture”.

He said the organisation was formulating policies about tax, carbon, fuel rebates, telecommunications, trade, live export, research and development funding and transport.

“I am working on the fact that these policies will set the agenda for the next three years,” Mr Whittington said.

“If any one of these policies go against the industry, this could cost the individual farm businesses thousands of dollars.

“My job is to ensure WAFarmers is in the media regularly, pointing out what needs to be done to ensure farm businesses continue to grow.”

Mr Whittington will lead WAFarmers’ team of six staff, which includes two executive officers, a finance and administration manager, a communications officer and an executive services administrator.

His salary is expected to be in the realm of $150,000 - $200,000.

Mr Whittington most recently oversaw the management of indigenous-owned cattle stations under administration in the Kimberley.

Before that, he worked as chief of staff for former WA agriculture minister Ken Baston between 2013-16, after four years as chief of staff for former WA mines minister Norman Moore.

He is also currently the president of peak body Wine of WA.

Mr Whittington urged farmers to become a WAFarmers’ member, rather than “free-riding” on the benefits it brought to industry.

“We can do what your local member of Parliament can’t or won’t do, which is stand up and publicly criticise the government or minister of the day,” Mr Whittington said.

“It is no use farmers complaining about government policies or inaction if they are free-riding and not helping us engage in the political process.

“Political advocacy costs but the real cost comes when you don’t have an active political or policy voice in Perth or Canberra.”

WAFarmers president Tony York said Mr Whittington was a good fit for the organisation.

WAFarmers released its 2018 annual report last week, revealing a $12,777 operating surplus, its third in a row.

Membership dipped 2.5 per cent year-on-year, to generate $968,000.