Our Constitution and Company Structure

Overview of the CPA Constitution

1. The CPA constitution is based on the agreements reached in 2015 between all the grass fed cattle representative groups including CCA.
2. The CPA constitution provides for an Interim Board to be appointed by the majority vote of the Founding Members of CPA prior to the election of the first Policy Advisory Council.
3. The Founding Members of CPA are all members of the CPA Implementation Committee who were eligible to be members of CPA when the current CPA constitution was adopted.
4. The current members of the CPA Interim Board are Dr Paul Wright, Mr. Ernie Camp and Ms. Loretta Carroll. Mr Norman Hunt is the current CPA Company Secretary. The majority of the CPA Founding Members can appoint any CPA Founding Member to the CPA Interim Board at any time and the CPA Interim Board will cease to exist when the first Policy Advisory Council is elected.
5. Membership to CPA is free.
6. The Policy Advisory Council, when formed, will comprise 15 representatives elected by CPA members on a one member one vote basis from 15 Regional Electorates across Australia.
7. Following its election the CPA 15 member Policy Advisory Council will form an Initial Board that will replace the Interim Board and within twelve months 7 of the 15 Policy Advisory Councillors will be elected through a two register voting structure to form the Board of CPA.
8. The two register voting structure for the election of CPA Board directors comprises of a one vote per member Register A and a Register B where voting entitlement is governed by the amount of grass-fed cattle transaction levies paid by the member in the previous financial year.
9. The 7 elected directors on the CPA board will include the most popular Policy Advisory Councillor in both Register A and Register B and 3 Directors who receive the most preference votes in Register A and 3 Directors who receive the most votes in Register B.
10. The 7 elected CPA directors have the power to appoint 2 additional special qualification CPA directors.
11. The CPA constitution provides for total annual remuneration not exceeding $750,000 for the 9 potential CPA Directors and the 8 Policy Advisory Councillors not elected to the CPA Board can be paid an amount not less than half but not exceeding the aggregate amount being paid for all Directors.
12. CPA membership application is a simple process requiring the minimum amount of information necessary to identify the applicant and establish that the applicant is a Grass-Fed Cattle Producer with a verifiable link to a Property Identification Code and who has paid grass-fed cattle transaction levies in the previous financial year.

The CPA Constitution has been modified to:-

• allow lessees and agistees to become Members of CPA where they have authority to use the Property owners PIC rather than obtaining their own PIC with respect to that part of  the Property that they lease or agist.
• push back the time that Members have to confirm the total amount of levies they paid in the preceding financial year to a time preceding a vote under the CPA constitution.

Read our Constitution in the link provided:  CPA Constitution

The Board

• Chairman selected by the board and Chairs the Board and Policy Advisory Council, for a 4  year term (can be a skills-based director)
• All delegates from Policy Advisory Council stand for election by all levy payer members who elect 7 Policy Advisory Councillors as directors
• Board can appoint two skills-based directors
• Provides organisational strategy formulation and policy approval and direction in conjunction with the Policy Advisory Council on behalf of grass-fed levy payers
• Develops effective corporate governance processes
• Legal and financial compliance and control
• Appointment of CEO
• Setting and monitoring corporate culture
• Setting and monitoring key performance indicators
• Risk management

The Policy Advisory Council

The 15 Regions are determined by combining ABARE Regions in accord with the attached maps It is a requirement that a member must have a PIC in the Region they wish to stand as a delegate Levy payer members can only vote from within the Region where they hold a PIC  4 year delegate terms with elections every 2 years ( 8 Regions in first round, 7 regions the second round) The role of the Policy Advisory Council is to determine all grass-fed cattle industry policy in conjunction with the CPA Board with the assistance when required of Member Surveys

Policy Development

RESEARCH & ANALYSIS DEVELOPMENT Policy Advisory Council appoints committees to manage sections of industry policy Policy Advisory Council members chair committees Committees provide recommendations to policy council Committees to be supported by paid staff Committees include relevant stakeholders and skills-based appointments Leadership, training and education Research & analyses Trade / Trade barriers Biosecurity / education / resilience / disaster planning

INDUSTRY & COMMUNITY COMMUNICATION Develop processes for board and committees to communicate with levy payers / Government stakeholders / industry / community Develop database / On-line platforms Membership services Regional Producer Groups Conferences / Forums Integration of MLA communication Build on extensive networks Rural awareness tours Youth development International relations

Advocacy
Advocacy policy will be developed by Policy Advisory Council in conjunction with the CPA Board with the assistance of Member Surveys The CPA Board will be responsible for implementing that Policy

MEMBERSHIP DIRECT MEMBERSHIP CATEGORY Requirement for CPA members to hold a PIC and be a grass-fed levy payer Establish a membership database Member Voting Entitlement to be automated Free Membership ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP For people associated with or involved in the grass-fed cattle industry who do not hold a PIC Non voting entitlement

FUNDING CPA will be funded from the proceeds of the provision of Members Services Members wishing to obtain the benefit of discounted Member Services will be asked to pay an annual Member Services Fee of $55 (GST incl) If CPA eventually replaces CCA as the grass-fed cattle Peak Council interest from the RMAC Reserve fund will provide funding to CPA

The 15 Regions

Region	Name	Zone
111 121 122	NSW: Far West NSW: North West Slopes and Plains NSW: Central West	1
123 132	NSW: Riverina NSW: Coastal	2
131	NSW: Tablelands (Northern Central and Southern)	3
221 222 223	VIC: Mallee VIC: Wimmera VIC: Central North	4
231	VIC: Southern and Eastern Victoria	5
314 312	QLD: Charleville – Longreach QLD: West and South West	6
311 313 332	QLD: Cape York and the Queensland Gulf QLD: Central North QLD: North Queensland Coastal – Mackay to Cairns	7
322 321	QLD: Darling Downs and Central Highlands of Queens QLD: Eastern Darling Downs	8
331	QLD: South Queensland Coastal – Curtis to Moreton	9
411 421 422 431	SA: North Pastoral SA: Eyre Peninsula SA: Murray Lands and Yorke Peninsula SA: South East	10
511 512	WA: The Kimberly WA: Pilbara and the Central Pastoral	11
521 522 531	WA: Central and South Wheat Belt WA: North and East Wheat Belt WA: South West Coastal	12
631	TAS: Tasmania	13
711 712	NT: Alice Springs Districts NT: Barkly Tablelands	14
713 714	NT: Victoria River District – Katherine NT: Top End Darwin and the Gulf of Northern Territory	15