Mr Rob Vickery, Former President, Royal Agriculture Society

The Hon. DUNCAN GAY: My question is directed to the Minister for Primary Industries. Is the Minister aware that the Opposition and many people in regional New South Wales are shocked at the unexpected resignation of Mr Rob Vickery from the position of president of the Royal Agriculture Society? Given the valuable and extensive contribution Mr Vickery has made to farming and rural communities in New South Wales, what is the Government's response to his unexpected departure?

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: I am aware that Mr Rob Vickery resigned from his position as president of the Royal Agricultural Society in late May 2008. I note that Mr John Fairfax AM has been elected as acting president of the society, pending the election of a new president. Mr Vickery held the position since being elected in 2004. The position of president of the Royal Agriculture Society is a voluntary, unpaid role. Mr Vickery and his wife, Tina, have volunteered immense personal time and resources in fulfilling the role over the past four years.

The Hon. Duncan Gay: With a great deal of style.

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: Yes, immense style. Mr Vickery and Tina continued to work tirelessly over the entire 16 days of each of the past four Royal Easter Shows. Mr Vickery has impressive agricultural credentials. He runs a large-scale cattle feedlot and grain operation in north-western New South Wales. He has also held the position of treasurer in the Australian Lot Feeders Association for some 30 years. This is a monumental effort, as anyone who has served on an association committee would know. Mr Vickery currently serves on the management committee of the new Equine Centre at Tamworth, which is a great achievement and asset for the Tamworth region.

Through his vast experience in a wide range of agricultural and export enterprises, Mr Vickery has gained a thorough understanding of Australian agriculture and trade and the importance of these for the prosperity of rural New South Wales. During his time as president of the Royal Agriculture Society, Mr Vickery passionately promoted strong agricultural industry alliances and numerous projects in rural New South Wales. For example, the Royal Agriculture Society, in conjunction with Woolworths and the University of Western Sydney, helped establish the Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarships, which are awarded annually to 20 young Australians looking to develop their career in the agriculture sector. The program covers a variety of subjects such as business strategy and planning, the agricultural value chain, successful business leadership and finance, logistics and supply chain management, doing business with retailers, sustainability and environmental issues.

Mr Vickery also played a critical role in forming the Royal Agriculture Society Foundation for Rural and Regional New South Wales. The foundation's objective is to support individual and community endeavours of excellence within rural New South Wales through a series of funding grants. Under Mr Vickery's leadership the Royal Agricultural Society supported the Sydney Symphony Orchestral Regional Touring Program for drought relief. This has been an extremely successful program. Mr Vickery has a particular interest in promoting agricultural products directly to consumers. This interest and passion led to the introduction of the RAS President's Medal, a prestigious award that recognises excellence in Australia's primary industries and rewards innovation, quality and passion. This is a unique award. It is the only competition of its kind in Australia, judging products alongside each other on a multifaceted basis. Established in 2006, the awarding of the medal recognises producers who develop products using sustainable practices and raises consumer awareness. The RAS President's Medal honours the very best of the best in agricultural production and comes with the highest distinction.

During his presidency Mr Vickery developed a strong and meaningful working relationship between the Royal Agricultural Society and the Government. During this time he demonstrated his willingness to work cooperatively with the government of the day to ensure good outcomes are achieved for agriculture in New South Wales. His efforts during the recent equine influenza outbreak and the program to eradicate it have been excellent. His contribution to this area allowed the Sydney Royal Easter Show to host the first ever Royal Sydney Horse Classic, part of the highly successful Return of the Horse program held in New South Wales earlier this year. He demonstrated genuine concern about the future of rural communities and has used every opportunity with the RAS to fortify and promote the culture of working and living on the land. I thank the honourable member for his question. I look forward, and I expect the Opposition also looks forward, to the day Mr Vickery seeks and once again contributes to the Royal Agricultural Society as its president. We hope it is soon.