Australian Wool Innovation's WoolPoll process to be reviewed

The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) launched the review today in response to Ernst & Young's 2018 review into AWI's performance and governance, which recommended an independent review of WoolPoll.

Wool growers and other key wool industry stakeholders will have the opportunity to contribute their ideas of how the process could be improved.

AWI currently conducts a WoolPoll vote every three years, to allow the industry to make a decision on the levy rate wool growers pay to support AWI's research, development and marketing.

At the last WoolPoll vote in 2018, it was decided by growers that AWI's levy rate be dropped to 1.5 per cent.

The DAWE said the review was being conducted to ensure WoolPoll remained an appropriate and contemporary process that provided robust assurance about what wool levy payers wanted their levy rate to be.

An AWI spokesman said the company welcomed the review.

"This is an opportunity for wool growers to have their say in response to the DAWE's discussion paper and provide their ideas to improve how WoolPoll is conducted," the spokesman said.

The submission period will be open until May 29, and will be followed by targeted virtual consultation conducted by the DAWE in May and June 2020.

The DAWE said it expected to release the final report of the review later this year.

You can have your say, here.