Members

Biographies

Mr Dick Estens, Chairman

Dick Estens is a cotton farmer from Moree with a long history of involvement in community issues at local and national levels. While running his cotton business he has also been involved with the Moree Plains and Barwon Health Services, chaired the Gwydir Valley Cotton Growers Association and been involved in local Indigenous employment issues. He is a director of Reconciliation Australia and in 2000 received an 'Outstanding Rural Leader of the Year' Award for work with aboriginal employment.

Ms Jane Bennett

Jane Bennett is the production manager and a director of Ashgrove Farm Cheese in Tasmania and was the ABC Radio Australian Rural Woman of the Year in 1997. In addition to her commercial experience she has extensive public and community experience including as a member of the National Food Industry Council, the Federal Government's Trade Policy Advisory Council, the Tasmanian Together Progress Board and as Deputy Chair of the Food Industry Council of Tasmania. She participated in the 2000 Telecommunications Service Inquiry.

Mr Ray Braithwaite

Ray Braithwaite was the National Party member for the north Queensland Federal electorate of Dawson from 1975 to 1996. During this time he held a number of Shadow Ministry positions and was on a number of Parliamentary Committees. He has extensive public, community and business experience in regional Australia, and has been a passionate advocate of long standing improvements in regional service delivery. He was an Associate Commissioner on the Productivity Commission's 1998-99 inquiry into the effect of competition policy on rural and regional Australia. He also participated in the 2000 Telecommunications Service Inquiry.

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