Advocacy

Blue Sky Agribusiness Directors and Staff have been involved in many forms of industry advocacy through different employers for almost 20 years. Under Blue Sky Agribusiness, the team has undertaken small roles in advocating on a number of issues for organisations such as Shorthorn Beef Australia and the Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC).

The main organisation Blue Sky Agribusiness has provided advocacy services for has been the Goat Industry Council of Australia (GICA), since November 2010. GICA is designated as a Commodity Council of the Federation by Federal Government. Under its charter as a Commodity Council, GICA is specifically designated as the organisation that develops collective goat industry policy, across all breeds. GICA works with Government, industry bodies, producers and other peak industry councils to this end (Goat Industry Council of Australia Ltd, 2016).

Blue Sky Agribusiness undertakes the following advocacy role for GICA:

• Provide support to GICA representatives participating in relevant animal health and welfare (i.e. AHA meetings) or food safety and industry systems meetings (i.e. Livestock Production Assurance (LPA), Safemeat, NLIS etc). This will require attendance at a number of the meetings
• Represent GICA on committees, working groups and at meetings
• Maintain formal lines of communication between the goat industry, AHA, NRS and other organisations associated with the relevant portfolios
• Prepare briefing papers, emails and other correspondence required by GICA, AHA and NRS
• Conduct other tasks within these portfolios as required by GICA