Sheep Producers Australia chair Bindi Murray. Image – West Australian Newspapers Ltd.

SHEEP Producers Australia chair and Western Australian producer Bindi Murray has taken a paid position in a strategic steering group overseeing the WA industry’s transition to the banning of live sheep exports by sea in May 2028.

The Contract Notice View – CN4186693 — on the austender website shows that Miss Murray was invited to take up the business administration services position, that pays $24,000.03 and runs from 2 September this year until 2 September 2026.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry contract notice outlines the supplier as ‘TTF THE MURRAY FAMILY TRUST’ of Kojonup, WA.

Ms Murray acceptance of the role comes just months after SPA defended accepting $50,758.13 from DAFF under a contract CN 4153929 on the AusTender website for providing ‘strategy development assistance’ from 27 March 2025 to 30 June 2025.

SPA CEO defends chair’s appointment to SSG

Sheep Producers Australia chief executive officer Bonnie Skinner said SPA works and collaborates with many organisations, and any conflicts of interest or crossover are managed with appropriate governance and disclosure.

“SPA understands the members of the SSG were chosen for their strong links with the WA sheep industry, and that there is a conflict management process in place.

“Bindi’s SSG membership has also been included in the SPA Director’s Register of Interest,” she said.

“SPA welcomes the formation of the SSG, the allocation of funding to the WA Implementation Fund, and looks forward to working closely with the SSG and its members.”

Ms Skinner said SPA did not support the live sheep export phase-out policy and still does not.

“However, once the legislation was passed, the SPA focus became about ensuring producers – and their communities – receive the support required for their businesses.

“As part of this, SPA recommended the establishment of a local taskforce to advise the government on the transition in Western Australia.

“In addition, the co-design process – which was also recommended by SPA – revealed that the industry wanted a clear pathway to guide investment and strategy – in other words, strong leadership,” Ms Skinner said.

“The SSG has been established to provide leadership and work towards the best outcomes for WA sheep producers.”

Sheep Central asked Ms Skinner and Ms Murray if the SPA board considered and made a determination on whether there were any potential or material conflict of interest issues with Ms Murray’s SSG appointment. Sheep Central was told Ms Murray was unavailable for comment.

Potential conflicts of interest managed by register of interests

Mr Rodwell told Sheep Central the three members of the Strategic Steering Group “were selected through a targeted selection process by myself, based on my judgement and consultations to date.”

“This approach allowed for a deliberate balance of leadership skills, diverse perspectives and local sector knowledge,” he said.

“This balance is not intended to be representative of industry, but based on the skills required to propose recommendations for the Minster in the development of WA’s industry strategy and implementation plan.

“SSG members are WA-based with broad skillsets and unique subject-matter expertise and lived experience in agriculture, with proven system leadership in WA,” Mr Rodwell said.

“All SSG members will participate in their individual capacity and not as representatives for their respective organisations or businesses.

“SSG members are being compensated for their time and travel expenses (if any),” he said.

“In line with standard corporate governance practices any potential conflicts of interest will be identified and managed by maintaining a register of interests.”

Mr Rodwell has told Sheep Central the strategic steering group is not a government appointed (DAFF) group.

“Its members were independently appointed by me as transition advocate.

“This is an important distinction that speaks to the group’s purpose and its independence in providing system advice,” he said.

Mr Rodwell said the contracting arrangements with each of the three members of the strategic steering group reflect that they were identified by him to join the group, and the department, as secretariat to him in his role as transition advocate, procured their services.

“It is misleading to imply Ms Murray alone was offered a contract when there are two other members of the group who were also offered similar contracts.”

Mr Rodwell’s position and the steering group is funded through the transition assistance package, which is administered by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

SSG to seek evidence and data on industry’s status

Erin Gorter

Ashley Herbert

In a statement late last week, the independent transition advocate Chris Rodwell said Ms Murray, rural industry consultant Erin Gorter and agribusiness consultant Ashley Herbert will join him as the members of the SSG.

“Bindi, Erin and Ashley are all participating in an individual capacity for their skills and knowledge in the sheep industry and will not be acting as representatives for any respective organisations or businesses.

“The Strategic Steering Group (SSG) brings together respected leaders from across the sheep and wool sector, each with strong industry experience and an understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the industry,” he said.

“As group we will be focused on the things needed to ensure a continued profitable and productive sheep supply chain in Western Australia and one of our first tasks will be ensuring we have a clear current state of the sector that is informed by evidence and data.

“I look forward to working closely with the members of the SSG and continuing to engage with the broader industry to ensure a strong and vibrant sheep industry in Western Australia,” Mr Rodwell said.

Mr Rodwell said as independent transition advocate, he was committed to ensuring the best possible transition for the Western Australian sheep industry “as we move towards the end of live sheep exports by sea from 1 May 2028.”

“My job is to help everyone understand what a transition looks like where sheep remain integral to the rural fabric of agriculture in WA.”

Mr Rodwell said since I started in the role, he had worked hard to speak to as many producers and organisations as possible about the challenges faced by the sector and what the future could look like.

“I’ve heard some of these challenges are not the result of the ban but have been thrown into sharp relief because of it.

“The government’s transition package will help, but many of these challenges will require a step-change, leadership and for all of the supply chain to work together to re-build confidence so the sector can grow and thrive domestically and globally,” he said.

“One of the things I’ve consistently heard is that the sheep industry in Western Australia needs a clear pathway to help guide investment and thinking on what good looks like as it transitions.

“This also came through strongly in the co-design workshops earlier this year,” Mr Rodwell said.

Mr Rodwell said he was pleased to announce the establishment of the leadership group, the SSG, that will play a central role in guiding the development of an evidence-backed industry strategy for the WA sheep and wool sector.

“The strategy will outline priority actions to help guide system change and ensure that the sector is best positioned for growth and investment.”

Click here to read the Terms of Reference for the SSG and biographies of members.