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Australian Women in Agriculture (AWiA) and Women's Industry Network Conference
AWiA & WINSC Joint National Conference
Over the weekend of 9-10 September a unique Conference took place in Darwin. For the first time two seemingly different groups combined to stage their annual conference. However, Australian Women in Agriculture and Network Seafood Community (WINSC) the Conference showed that both industries have far more in common than expected.
A sincere welcome was also made to members of the Papua New Guinea Women in Agriculture Development Foundation.
One day included to a tour of Darwin & surrounds where many different primary industries were visited. These included crocodile, mixed horticulture and barramundi farms, forestry milling demonstration and live cattle export yards.
The guest speakers at the Conference were from various backgrounds and showed what perseverance, hard work, good management and acceptance of forces outside of one’s control can achieve. Representatives from the seafood industry included Katherine Sarneckis, Dr Janet Howieson, Carmel Ball and Barbara Koennecke.
Winner of NT Rural Woman's Award 2010 and co owner of Darwin Fish Markets Carmel Ball has recently been elected as Chair for the Trader/ Processor Committee on the Northern Territory Seafood Council making her the first woman to be elected to the board. Carmel has worked in primary industries for the past decade as a consultant and as part owner of the Darwin Fish Markets. She has played a pivotal role in the management of the markets and its quality controls. She has developed Quality Assurance and HACCP plans, policies and procedures, shore managed a fleet of vessels, obtained AQIS accreditation for the mother vessel and HACCP certification for the remainder of the fleet. Carmel manages the NT’s first Australian only fresh seafood market and is a passionate advocate for NT seafood, currently working on a new innovative range of all natural Northern Territory seafood products. This includes the development of their all natural, value added seafood product range, turning seafood by-products into fresh smoked barramundi and crocodile dips and trimmings into all natural fish cakes and fish stock. These are all sold under their brand name of “Go Wild.... Territory Wild”.
At an industry level, Carmel has been proactive in raising the awareness of women in the industry and the profile of the Northern Territory seafood industry generally on the national stage. She was a founding member of the Darwin Seafood Festival Committee, organising the inaugural Darwin Seafood Ball and Awards and was instrumental in the formation of an NT Women in Seafood group.
Carmel's plans for the future include the development of an NT seafood cookbook, which will be used to promote the industry and its sustainability efforts and educate the wider community about NT Seafood and the industry.
Co owner of Arafura Aquatic Fish with her husband Brian, their daughter Kathy and granddaughter April, Barbara Koennecke is originally from South Australia, moving to the Territory in 1976, firstly to Katherine and then to Nhulunbuy (Gove) in 1986, where she still lives and works today. Barbara has been in the Aquarium industry since 1995.
For the past 15 years Barbara and Brian Koennecke have worked towards a sustainable aquarium trade, including working with traditional owners. They campaigned strongly for the transferability of aquarium licences, with this transferability being achieved in 2008. That year also saw the commencement of “culturing” of Giant Clams (Tridacna squamosa) for both the aquarium trade and traditional owners. This was undertaken by Barbara and Brian, in conjunction with the Darwin Aquaculture Centre. Barbara is currently working with traditional owners to look at ranching some of the clam stock back into the areas that are being used for traditional food.
Barbara and Brian are always on the look out for any changes that may occur in the ocean, working as first line sentinels to ensure the pristine nature of the marine environment.
Katherine Sarneckis, CEO, NT Seafood Council discussed local seafood swindles – the deception and failure of voluntary labelling. Katherine has been working in the seafood industry for five years through the Northern Territory Seafood Council and for the past two years as CEO of the Council. Prior to the seafood industry, she held various roles within both the Territory and South Australian Government in the environmental field, which utilised her academic training in the field of Environmental Toxicology. A National Seafood Industry Leadership graduate, Katherine is keen to see the industry develop andprovide opportunities for its leaders to work more collaboratively.
On the 11th November 2008 the NT put in place retail licensing conditions that require fish retailers serving imported seafood for public consumption to state if the product is imported. The laws apply to menus in hotels, restaurants and cafes as well as takeaways. The NT is the first jurisdiction to implement such laws. Seafood labelling in other jurisdictions cease at the back door of food outlets, leaving consumers unable, in many instances to determine if the seafood in their meals is Australian or imported. So far experiences in NT and the changes seen to date with compulsory country of origin labelling for cooked seafood have been very positive, with consumers often choosing to purchase the often more expensive local seafood over an imported product.
Dr Janet Howieson, WINSC Secretary & Director at Large, is currently employed as a senior research fellow in the Centre of Excellence for Science, Seafood and Health at Curtin University. She has over 15 years experience as a researcher in the university, private and public sector and also worked for 7 years in strategic planning and policy at the WA Dept of Fisheries. She has been a WINSC Director since 2006. She offered a history of WINSC.
The Women’s Industry Network Seafood Community (WINSC) was formed in 1996. The WINSC vision is for a sustainable and viable Australian seafood industry that is socially responsive and values the integral contribution of its women. There are now over 60 members of WINSC, from all states of Australia and New Zealand, and from all sectors of the seafood industry including commercial fishing, aquaculture, processing, retail, research, government and peak body representation.
In 2009 WINSC was successful in gaining funding from DAFF “Advancing Australia’s Farming Future” to hold a one day strategic planning workshop. This workshop was held in Hervey Bay in late October 2009, attended by 32 women and three men. The workshop was divided into individual sessions. Firstly attendees were asked to highlight their most important issues for the seafood industry. In order of priority these were: education (schools, consumers, general community), unified representation (at national, state and sector level), promotion of the Australian seafood industry (products and sustainability); maintaining profitability (price makers not price takers), resource access, water management and succession planning.
When the focus moved to social issues, the priority issues were: understanding and improving communication, both within the industry and also between the industry and other stakeholders, implementation of social indicators into fisheries management; assisted seafood industry change management (enabling exit with dignity) reliable staff and industry succession and understanding social impacts of closures and MPA’s.
The group also undertook a training needs analysis and the most important training needs identified were: leadership training, marketing and value adding of products and strategic planning. Outcomes of the workshop have included three more funding applications, a revised WINSC strategic plan, increased membership, input of outcomes into Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC) social program and people development program and recognition of training needs and opportunities for WINSC members. And lots of fun was had by all.
Allen Lui who is a Networks technologist and management consultant offered some invaluable tips for managing life in the 21st century.
Allen raised some interesting issues including how to improve access to the internet using some pretty generic and cheap methods, worker smarter not harder, improving wifi connected networks on both land and seafarms, how to use free software to improve productivity, how to improve communication with your colleagues and industry using technology and using internet marketing strategies.