Presidents Report – 18th July, 2024
Rowan Woods
Good morning,
This has been a shortened year with our last meeting only 11 months ago. This is due in part to the fact that finally some movement has been seen in the wool selling roster. The roster now sees the first year of a trial where 4 clear selling weeks occur before the winter recess. The recess remains three weeks. This is the first change of any description the roster has seen for decades despite the best efforts of brokers. Brokers have lobbied for years for more selling days throughout the year to provide as even a flow of wool onto the market as possible. Buyers have resisted these changes, protecting their “days off”, or their “days to travel to the continent to engage with their mill clients to facilitate more sales”. As a result of the later recess, wool week needed to be moved “out of the way” and it was agreed that forward was better than back, which would have dropped it into the beginning of one of the industry’s busiest times, Spring. The shortened version of Wool Week to one main day has also been a result. The next step is to bring the later three week recess to two, or even one. Ironically, these changes are only now coming when production is at its lowest level for a century.
This past year has seen the rebuilding of the Wool Broker of the Year program. As a result of last years lack of entrants, and the subsequent stripping back of the whole concept, the result has been a good one, if not somewhat conservative. It was decided to rebirth the program as Wool Broker Development Program, where brokers could nominate a candidate to attend different workshops, meeting with their contemporaries, and developing skills consistent with the role, rather than just the company they work for. They can build relationships with their competitors, a feature which has been all but lost over the last 20 or so years. There were five entrants this year, a healthy turnaround, and today there are three finalists.
I would like to thank Robert Herrmann, Bianca Heaney and Emma Reynolds for their contribution to the relaunch of the “Development Program”, as well as time contributions by Robert Ryan, Stuart Raine, Gerard Buchanan and Brett Smith. Further, I would like to wish the three finalists luck for tonight’s announcement, and to the other two who either withdrew or fell short this time, I would like you to feel encouraged to strengthen your skillset and have another go. Whilst it is nice to win, and especially to win a trip to IWTO, it is about developing young brokers to fill gaps created as the previous generation retires.
This program is the envy of many, and it is there to be supported by us. The Executive Director will elaborate on the Development Program further, a little later.
This past year has also seen the birth of the Australian Wool Traceability Hub. Whether we like it or not, whether we agree or not, the world demands traceability of supply of any raw material, whether it be food, manufactured goods, or in our case fibre. To remain competitive at all, the ability to trace a product to it’s source is essential. The AWTH will do that. Borne out of engagement with NCWSBA, ACWEP, WPA, AWTA and AWI, with a will to utilise the architecture of the discontinued WoolQ program, we have now arrived at a juncture where AWTA are managing and hosting the development of the “Hub”. Most of us will by now have seen the presentation for the Hub, but Nick Ignatenko will have more later this morning on how we as brokers can help it succeed.
Continuing with the Tracability and Sustainability theme, you will recall at a Broker Forum held in Sydney in 2023, that Brokers were unanimously in favour of a Sustainability and Integrity Scheme that reflected the Australian Industry, Australia’s vigorous clip preparation standards, and most of all, was born here, designed here and administered from here. The Australian Wool Exchange was listening, and we have now seen the relaunch of Sustainawool. Sustainawool 2.0 as part of the Australian Wool Sustainability Scheme is the result. Katyana Armen from AWEX will be here shortly to further explain it’s scope and purpose, but I challenge us all, to get behind something we wanted. If the industry was united behind such a scheme it can only become stronger and ultimately benefit all of us. Again, you’ve no doubt seen it in a presentation, but how can we play a part in it’s success.
The challenges ahead for the Australian Wool Industry are many, and you don’t need me to tell you that. We are now under great pressure to consider a sale week recess for Chinese New Year. Wool production is in decline and since covid has reached a level not seen since the early 1920’s.
While in our day-to-day activities we are competitors, as a vital sector of the wool industry we know that that we must also work together to contribute to the sustainability of the Australian Wool Industry.
The role brokers play in the wool supply chain is pivotal; we are the link between the producers of our great fibre, and the wool trade that takes this great fibre to the world. While our role has always been important, in the future wool brokers will become even more valuable to wool producers, and a key in the ongoing sustainability of the industry.
At the end of the day, if the industry is united in the common objective of building the wool industry, we can meet the challenges ahead and continue to create the history and tradition of a great industry.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the plight of our industry in the great state of Western Australia. As an organisation we have voiced our opposition to the policy now enshrined into law by the current government, but it does not need to end there.
NCWSBA has lobbied the government, in cooperation with Wool Producers Australia advocacy, to present the unacceptability of this government intervention in legitimate agricultural trade and markets. As the wool brokers representative body, our support and activities are with the producers, brokers and the wider wool industry of WA.
This attack on our industry must not go unchallenged, and we will continue the fight and support the wool industry in WA in whatever way we can.
In closing, I would like to thank the board of directors, but in particular the executive of John Colley, Gerard Buchanan and Rob Herrmann, who have all been extremely helpful and supportive. I would like to particularly thank Gerard however, who is taking a break and has not stood for an executive position this year. Gerard has been an excellent vice president. He is always available, supportive, considered and considerate. I hope to see you back on the executive again soon Gerard.
Good luck to the Young Wool Brokers tonight, and thankyou.
ROWAN WOODS
PRESIDENT
