Written by Comparing the proposed CCA Policy Council to the previously agreed Industry Restructure Model
Industry leaders including Cattle Council of Australia (CCA), State Farm Organisations (SFO), Cattle Producers Australia (CPA), the Northern Producers Group and other stakeholders agreed on a democratic model and established a Grass-fed beef industry Restructure Steering Committee (RSC) to implement the new structure, hold elections and install the Board. This agreed process has been taken over by CCA and they are promoting an unacceptable model.
It should be noted that CCA has no right to take over this process and formulate a Constitution for Cattle Australia – Going down this track only gives CCA Members and SFOs the opportunity to vote and agree on the new constitution for the 45000 cattle producers across Australia.
A MESSAGE FROM PAUL WRIGHT, CHAIR OF CATTLE PRODUCERS AUSTRALIA
We have set this webpage up to alert you as grass-fed cattle producers about serious developments with the reform process for your democratic representation in the new organisation Cattle Australia. There are over 45,000 levy-paying businesses in Australia who pay a $5.00 per head levy on every cattle transaction with minimal influence over how their levy funds are spent. Reform for grass-fed cattle levy payers’ representation has been recommended over two decades by Senate Committees and other well-informed Inquiries. A recurring central theme of these recommendations is recognition that direct and transparent engagement of payers of the grass-fed cattle transaction levy was essential for a meaningful and truly democratic Peak Industry Council representing you – Australia’s grass-fed cattle producers. In short, if levy payers are to obtain appropriate influence over the expenditure of our statutory levies and the development and promotion of policies impacting upon our industry then our peak industry council must be reformed to be one which is transparently and democratically “levy payer centric”. Cattle Producers Australia was created by cattle producers for that purpose and will exit when that task is complete.
A BRIEF HISTORY
As determined by Senate Committees and other Inquiries the outdated State Farm Organisation (SFO) based representational structure needed to undergo “root and branch” reform to accommodate the establishment of a modern, agile, engaged, responsive and truly democratic organisation to serve the interests of cattle producers. The reform process to design and establish a new organisation began seriously in 2015 with an Implementation Committee involving Cattle Council of Australia (CCA) and wider cattle interests. After reaching initial agreement CCA, in January 2018, under instruction from its SFO base, walked out of the Implementation Committee. Following the CCA walkout, with reform at a standstill, Cattle Producers Australia (CPA) was incorporated for the Implementation Committee role of gaining enactment of the Senate and other recommendations. Much detailed work was undertaken by CPA relating to the systems and structures best suited for the national representation for grass-fed cattle producers. These were presented when the reform process resumed.
THE REFORM PROCESS WAS RESTORED
Acting on initiatives by the then Minister David Littleproud, an “across industry” Restructure Steering Committee (RSC) was established in late 2021 to develop a constitution for the new organisation to be known as Cattle Australia (CA), to oversee the election of the CA board and policy council representatives by levy payers and, ultimately, to manage the transfer of grass-fed cattle producer Peak Industry Council (PIC) status from CCA to CA. Additionally, the RSC was charged with the establishment of adequate and appropriate funding streams for Cattle Australia.
THE REFORM PROCESS IS UNDER THREAT Regrettably, towards the middle of this year the Cattle Council of Australia and State Farm Organisation members of the Restructure Steering Committee sought to seize control of the RSC process. This is an undisguised bid to wrench the grass-fed cattle producer organisational reform process away from the previous RSC system and to retain the old SFO based system. I urge levy payers to reject outright this blatant assault by CCA on the levy-payer objective to establish the adequately resourced, democratically and transparently elected representative Peak Industry Council so clearly identified and called for in the recommendations in a range Senate and other Inquiries. Yours Sincerely,
Cattle Producers Australia 
