Outstanding skills and experience together with valuable industry knowledge and fresh ideas are part and parcel of the benefits brought to the NSW Rural Assistance Authority (RAA) by their newly appointed advisory board members.
NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Deputy Director General – Infrastructure, Investment & Business Development Brett Fifield said the appointment of a new Chair and Director comes at an exciting time for the RAA.
“As NSW fights to recover from years of severe drought, catastrophic bushfires, ongoing impacts of COVID-19, widespread floods and a mouse plague, the role of the RAA in supporting regional communities is as important as ever,” said Mr Fifield.
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of a new Chair and a new Director to the RAA board, to support the RAA in continuing to deliver vital initiatives for primary producers across the State.
“Their skills and experience complement those of existing members to strengthen the Authority’s strategic oversight and corporate governance capabilities,” said Mr Fifield.
The new independent committee members are:
- Chair: Mr Andrew Rice, a mixed farming operator from Parkes, and Director of Agricultural and Management Services at ASPIRE Agri, as well as non-executive director and chairperson of the not-for-profit company Field Applied Research Australia Pty Ltd, and non-executive director, Central West Local Land Services.
- Director: Ms Joanna Balcomb, a mixed farming operator from Cudal, and Chief Risk Officer for First Choice Credit Union in Orange, with experience as an independent RAA appeals panel member for both bushfires and floods.
“I’d like to thank the outgoing board members for their service to the RAA, offering strength and stability throughout times of hardship, and for the valuable contribution to supporting agriculture in NSW,” Mr Fifield said.
