The Federal Government via DAFF requested an independent review of HAL in hand with the next signing of the Statutory Funding Agreement. The review has now been tabled and HGA, as members of HAL, have been attending the meetings around Australia to stay on top of the information and any suggested changes that may affect us. There has been an Extra-Ordinary Meeting called, to be held in Cairns on 20 June, to put a motion to the members “That the Members of HAL endorse Recommendation 1 of the HAL Review Report, namely: ‘Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) should over a transition
period move to become a grower-owned rural Research and Development Corporation’”. We are seeking, along with other small, non-levy paying industries, an understanding of what “grower-owned” means and if in fact it means levy paying growers, it leaves many industries, like ours, out in the cold.
If you would like to discuss this further, or like further information, please call Sallianne on M. 0419 474 623.