MITCH Hooke's recent appointment as an independent director of Grain Producers Australia (GPA) has added a quarter of a century in policy-making experience and industry advocacy, to the national industry representative group.
The former Minerals Council of Australia and Grains Council of Australia boss' depth of experience was clearly evident in his measured response to the controversial ministerial decision to appoint joint status to GPA and Grain Growers Limited (GGL), as the industry's Representative Organisation (RO).
"A lot of people would be puzzled as to why the grain industry is not able to grasp the opportunities to actually promulgate a much more effective and efficient representative structure.
"But I'm not here for that.
"I don't feel any mandate or position to be pontificating to growers about how they conduct or organise themselves."
Mr Hooke's recruitment to GPA's board came shortly after he facilitated a one-day meeting in Canberra between grower directors of GGL and GPA.
At that time, GPA was the grain industry's sole RO - but since then Federal Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Barnaby Joyce awarded them equal RO status, under the required legislation.
Mr Hooke cannot see any barriers stopping the two groups from work together cohesively.
"There doesn't seem any divisive policy issues; there seems to be a very common and clear sets of objectives and meanings by which they're looking to address the product integrity of what they're looking to sell," he said.
"There are challenges for sure, but there does not seem to be great divides across the grower industry."
Reflecting on a busy career in public advocacy, he said his time in Canberra was "dotted with a whole lot of fortune".
It involved working in industries going through incredible periods of change and reform.
Raised in the Victoria's Western District, he studied rural science in Armidale before working as an agricultural advisor in the Queensland grain industry, then moving to Canberra to become involved in the "great wheat debate" over domestic deregulation in the late 1980s.
"It was a fortunate time to be in Canberra just after the great farmers' rally of 1985 when the NFF was essentially paving the way for a massive reform agenda," he said.
"Everything was abuzz and the grains industry was going through a period of incredible change but that was also commensurate with the changes in the community at large.
"Back then just about every arm of macro-economic policy was under government control.
"We had a fixed exchange rate; centrally controlled or managed labour markets and we were tariff-protected and subsidised.
"Farmers forget we had a fertiliser subsidy and legislation for a machinery and tractor bounty.
"We had all sorts of protection and our whole agricultural marketing ethos was one of commonality and statutory control.
"The unions dominated and industry was protected, but of course that boom ended in tears with double digit inflation."
He said inflation rates running at 10, 12 or 13 per cent, interests rates well over 20pc and unemployment above 1 million would be unimaginable to most people today.
"Now fast-forward 30 years and the economy's more open, flexible and dynamic."
When GPA asked him to join the board, he said it was a bit hard to say "no" to an industry that had given him so much, including a career launch.
"If I can make a contribution I'm happy to do so," he said.
"Some of these issues are very complex.
"Competition policy alone is a massive area and so is foreign investment, macro-economic policy and industrial relations.
Mr Hooke's career included leading the Minerals Council from 2002 until 2013, gaining a fierce reputation advocating the mining sector's interests, and seven years at the Australian Food and Grocery Council.