WAFarmers vice-president Steve McGuire weighing up tilt for Australian Wool Innovation board

WAFarmers vice-president Steve McGuire has revealed he is considering a tilt for a position on the Australian Wool Innovation board when the farmer-funded organisation’s only WA director retires after 15 years later this year.

WA woolgrower and mixed farmer David Webster, who joined the board in 2008, and NSW farmer James Morgan will both step down from the AWI board at the organisation’s annual general meeting on November 17.

Mr McGuire — who farms at Kojonup and described himself as an “agri-politician” — said he originally dismissed the idea of putting his name forward because he believed AWI should have more researchers than farmers on the board.

But after hearing that two director positions would be vacated at this year’s AWI annual general meeting, he changed his thinking.

While he still hasn’t decided to throw his hat in the ring, he said he was seriously considering it because he believed WA producers needed a voice.

He said he wasn’t sure if that would be the case if someone else from the Eastern States took up a spot.

“I’ll have to make up my mind by September,” he said.

It will be the first shakeup to the AWI board since 2021 after last year’s AGM fell in a non-election year.

At that AGM, woolgrowers voted in two major changes — limiting the length of tenure on the board to 10 years and limiting the size of the board to a maximum of seven directors.

It is tough times for AWI, whose annual loss more than doubled to $10.9 million last financial year while its marketing spend ramped up as the industry weathered “wildly” fluctuating wool prices.

AWI chief executive John Roberts last year revealed its decision to boost marketing expenditure from $29.08m to $38.5m — up 24 per cent — was intended to make sure wool was in consumers’ minds as the world slowly returned to normal after COVID-19 shutdowns.

Mr McGuire said he would like to see AWI take a 50/50 approach to marketing and research, instead of the 60/40 currently in place.

Mr McGuire said he was considering the jump because he had reached his six-year term limit on the WoolProducers Australia board and would be replaced in May by Makaela Knapp from Katanning, currently a youth ambassador for WPA.

While his priority was to WAFarmers, he said AWI needed local representation — especially at a time when a live sheep exports ban was on the government’s agenda, which could impact the local Merino wool production industry.

Mr Webster, a WA woolgrower, was elected to the AWI board in 2008 and recently chaired the audit and risk committee.

Mr Morgan was elected to the board in 2013 and has recently been chair of the people and culture committee.

They both were also on the research development education and extension committee.

In a statement, AWI said Mr Webster and Mr Morgan had “served Australian woolgrowers with distinction”.

Online access will be available for people unable to attend the AGM in November.