WAFARMERS vice president and past critic of Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), Kojonup woolgrower Steve McGuire has confirmed he will nominate to join the AWI board in November.
Mr McGuire, who completed six years as a director of WoolProducers Australia and his term as WAFarmers' representative on that peak body earlier this year, led Western Australian opposition to AWI's recommended increase to two per cent wool levy in 2018 following a critical review of the organisation.
Supporting WoolProducers' arguments tighter control and redirecting to research of AWI spending was needed and pointing to its WoolQ digital platform development cost as an example, Mr McQuire had urged WA woolgrower levy payers to reject AWI's Wool Poll recommendation.
He also urged them to apply to become AWI shareholders so they could vote at the annual general meeting (AGM) and on director elections.
Mr McGuire was on the winning side when a majority of woolgrowers voted to maintain the wool levy at 1.5pc.
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In a statement announcing his board candidacy, Mr McGuire said he believed the future of the wool industry "depends on increasing productivity".
"The sheep industry in general and wool industry in particular must make significant gains in productivity to keep wool growers profitable," said Mr McGuire, a fifth-generation wool grower who has farmed for 30 years at Kojonup.
"Most Western Australian woolgrowers are also graingrowers and have seen the benefits of technology and innovation in recent years.
"AWI must continue to provide (research) value for levy payers.
"The current chairman (New South Wales farmer Jock Laurie) and CEO (chief executive officer John Roberts) have made significant governance improvements and I note the chairman's comments last year that AWI is closely watching its spending.
"This is what those contributing levies to their research and development body want to hear.
"It has been noticeable to myself as a board member of WoolProducers Australia, the much greater and meaningful engagement with the wider wool industry of AWI under the current management and I am very keen for this to continue.
"One of the great joys of my time in industry advocacy is that I have been able to meet so many young men and women who work on and off farm in sheep and wool.
"They are passionate, capable and intelligent.
"My nomination for the board of AWI is motivated by the need to ensure that we can have a wool industry in which they have a future," he said.
Mr McGuire's board nomination form must be signed by 99 wool levy payers who have paid more than $100 in levy in the past three years and who are also registered as an AWI shareholder.
A wool levy payer is not automatically an AWI shareholder - only about 40pc of eligible levy payers have applied and become shareholders entitled to sign nomination forms, vote at director elections and at the AGM.
There is not cost for an eligible levy payer to become an AWI shareholder and their share cannot be traded or transferred.
WA's only AWI board member, David Webster, is one of two AWI directors whose current tenure ends at the November AGM.
The other is South Australian director James Morgan.
Both have served 10 years or more on the board and are therefore unable to restand for the coming election under AWI's constitution which was amended at the 2021 AGM to limit consecutive terms.
Mr Webster was first elected in 2008 and is chairman of AWI's Audit & Risk Committee and was a member of the Research Development Education & Extension Committee.
Mr Morgan was first elected in 2013 and is chairman of the People & Culture Committee and is also a member of the Research Development Education & Extension Committee.
If more then two nominations are received an election will be required to be held before the November AGM to determine who the new board members will be.
Another Kojonup woolgrower and Overton Poll Merino stud co-principal Neil Jackson has said he intends to nominate for the AWI board and in South Australia Collinsville Merino and Poll Merino stud principal George Millington has said he will also nominate.
Potential candidates have until September 18 to collect the required signatures and submit their nomination forms.
