What a lot of nonsense. Hamblin obviously wants sheep on the board. From what I have read Olsson, Merriman and Fletcher have more practical commercial sense than the rest put together. In the last forty years the world population has doubled and the Australian flock has halved and the price of heating oil had doubled and we still cannot get a decent price for wool! Maybe van Rooyen can talk his way out of that one? I will wait and see if there is a reply. I fear it will be a long wait.

Well said Don Hamblin. I can't believe the amount of mischeiveness that Wal Merriman and Ollson get up to - don't they realize that they have a responsibilty to share holders and to the company, instead of trying to de-stabilize the board they should be trying to work cohesively with it for better outcomes for woolgrowers.

Don Hamblin is spot-on. Australian woolgrowers need to be careful that the divisive, minority forces led by Merriman, Olsson and Co do not again take control of the AWI Board at the forthcoming election. Woolproducers will need to do what they did so effectively under Simon Campbell and rally support for the mature experience of the likes of van Rooyen (who would know more about wool processing and marketing than the rest of the Board put together) and John Keniry, one of Australia's most experienced agribusiness directors. When Roger Fletcher was elected he claimed to be non-aligned. I hope that remains the case. Remember few growers bother to vote and an active minority can quite easily gain control if the silent, apathetic majority are not motivated to have their say. Woolproducers - get to it!

Why bother having a AWI board if Wool Producers only want a rubber stamp. AWI board members should be allowed to vote as they see fit. I beleive the AWI have under achieved for a long while (years) and perhaps a bit more practical commercial sense on the board as the "outsiders" are bringing is none to soon.

Don Hamlin is head of WoolProducers Australia which is a Government and bureaucratic captured peak industry council with no visible membership other than the affiliate membership of State Farming Organisations and the National Farmers Federation. This fact alone limits WoolProducers Australia in their independence and free thinking in practical policy make-up, direction and implementation to that of the Government of the day and the entrenched bureaucracy subject, as always, to approved funding. On the other hand the Australian Wool Growers Association has a declared membership, is not Government and bureaucratically captured, is not subject to approved funding and is devoid of the limitations placed on free thinking in practical policy make-up and direction. Don Hamlin and WoolProducers Australia call for industry unity but it is they and Don Hamlin in particular that have created the disunity in the first instance by failing to take the wool growers of Australia with them in the formulation of policy of the peak industry council which is reflected in the rightful actions of Wal Merriman and Chick Olsson to express the opinions of those who elected them to the AWI board.

Nero fiddles whilst Rome burns. scrap the levy. Sack the timewasters and force a corporate solution. Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome is a form of insanity.

Don Hamblin is at a disadvantage in that WoolProducers have always been key supporters and promoters of the management which took wool down. abc is right with the declaration "Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome is a form of insanity." Sadly, too often this is how the world works.