Outsider wins seat on wool board

The wool broker who called for an inquiry into Australian Wool Innovation’s voting process has gained a spot on the new AWI board after clocking up the second-highest vote for the three vacant positions.

NSW wool broker Don Mac-donald was elected on to the peak wool marketing and research body’s board at its annual meeting in Sydney on Friday, receiving 136,384 votes even though he was not endorsed by the AWI board.

He had called for an inquiry into the AWI’s board voting process, after receiving calls from levy growers who had not received voting papers.

Incumbent AWI directors Colette Garnsey (205,584) and James Morgan (135,892) were also re-elected to the board, with retail veteran Ms Garnsey receiving the most votes overall.

The trio join the four existing board directors, WA’s David Webster, Meredith Sheil, Jock Laurie and chairman Wal Merriman.

Former AWI director Paul Cocking and former AWI consultant Wil Wilson were not voted back on to the board, even though AWI recommended shareholders vote for Ms Garnsey, Mr Morgan and Mr Wilson.

Mr Macdonald said he planned to raise issues about the voting process, including the use of proxies.

“There was a lot of grower support for me to be elected without the recommendation from the AWI board, WA was very helpful, I had dozens of phone calls from wool growers across Australia and many were from WA,” Mr Macdonald said.

“As one of seven members on the board, I certainly can’t make promises about major impact.

“But I will be working to put across my opinions and views as they arise.”

WA and national farming groups told Countryman they held high hopes the board would show good governance and leadership.

WAFarmers had called on wool growers to vote for Mr Macdonald in the weeks before the annual meeting.

The group’s livestock section vice-president Steve McGuire said it was “unusual” for his organisation to recommend candidates.

“While it was unusual for WAFarmers to specifically recommend individual candidates, recent controversial activities prompted the organisation to encourage wool growers to vote for Mr Macdonald given his intention to really drive forward changes and challenge current structures and activities,” he said.

“WAFarmers looks forward to increased involvement with AWI, and to seeing how the new board will deliver on their strategy of increasing international competition, sustainability and profitability for the Australian wool industry.”

Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA livestock committee chairman Chris Patmore said the elections held a few surprises, including Mr Wilson’s low vote. Mr Wilson had served as chairman of the industry group’s Wool Exchange Portal alongside Ms Garnsey and Mr Morgan.

“The chairman is the same, that was a little bit surprising in a way,” Mr Patmore said.

“But I was in Dubbo just recently and there was a lot of support in NSW for Don Macdonald and Wal Merriman, and the NSW wool growers have the weight of numbers in voting.

“I was interested that Wil Wilson polled the lowest and I think that is a reflection that the wool growers aren’t as enthusiastic about the wool selling portal as the board is.”

Mr Patmore said PGA was not convinced the digital portal was the most efficient way forward. “We are all in favour of supply chain efficiencies but we don’t really think AWI need to use compulsively acquired levies to reinvent the wheel,” he said.

“There are already several platforms which could be used to sell wool, we aren’t convinced AWI needs to spend our money.”

Wool Producers Australia president Richard Halliday welcomed the new board members while calling for improved transparency.

He said it was the organisation’s expectation that the board would implement changes to increase independence, transparency and accountability in all aspects of their operations.

“After a very political and at- times personal campaign, (Wool Producers Australia) expects that they now get on with the business of effectively managing wool grower funds,” Mr Halliday said. “To be elected on to the AWI board carries an enormous responsibility.

“As one of seven people responsible for the expenditure of millions of dollars of a compulsory tax on wool growers and millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars, the actions of these directors must be nothing short of transparent.”