Parliamentary Friends of Australian Red Meat 2026 The Parliamentary Friends of Australian Red Meat Group provides a non-partisan forum for Senators and Members to meet and support those who provide high quality, sustainable red meat products. The event is held at Parliament House, hosted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon. Milton Dick MP, and is supported by the Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Australian Red Meat, Senators Susan McDonald and Raff Ciccone. Thank you to our 2026 event sponsor the Australian Agricultural Company: Supporting Sponsors: For future sponsorship opportunities, please contact us at events@rmac.com.au Event Gallery

WHO WE ARE Australian Red Meat & Livestock Industry The leading and most-trusted source of red meat and livestock to the world Providers of cross-sector advice to the Commonwealth Government Custodians of the Meat Industry Strategic Plan Forum for the resolution of cross-sector issues Our Red Meat Industry Structure The Red Meat Advisory Council is responsible for ensuring a strong, effective and collaborative working relationship between the red-meat industry and Federal Government. Our member Peak Industry Bodies provide leadership, formulate policy and set strategic imperatives for the sectors they represent. The Peak Industry Bodies work closely with their respective Research and Development Corporations to set research, development, extension and marketing priorities that support the prosperity of the Australian red meat and livestock sector.

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OUR PEOPLE John McKillop Independent Chair John commenced as the Independent Chair of RMAC in October 2020 bringing over 25 years of senior agribusiness experience to the board. Previous roles have included CEO of S. Kidman & Co and Hancock Agriculture, CEO of Hassad Australia, Managing Director of Clyde Agriculture and executive roles with Elders and Stanbroke Pastoral Company. During this period, John has been involved in beef and sheep production, feedlotting, processing, live export and meat exporting. John is currently Chair of Black Box Co. Previous board roles include LAWD, Compass Agribusiness, Dairy Farmers Milk Co-Operative, Meat & Livestock Australia, Dairy Australia, Cubbie Cotton and the Primary Industries Education Foundation. Garry Edwards Director Garry was born and raised on a commercial beef cattle property and has over 25 years’ experience in large scale Australian livestock production management. His experience spans across the agricultural supply chain including livestock breeding, growing & finishing, financing agricultural projects, precision agriculture, sustainability & innovation and integrated agricultural businesses. Garry's many hats include his roles as Chair of Cattle Australia and MD and CEO of AAM. Garry also holds a bachelor of applied science, systems Argriculture. Chris Back Director Dr Chris Back has worked in the government sector and private practice. He has held positions as CEO of a Government Trading Enterprise and an Emergency Services Department and as MD of companies in Australia, South East Asia and the Middle East. Dr Back was a faculty member at Curtin University, the University of Kentucky, and the University of California, Davis. He was the first veterinarian elected to the Senate of the Australian Parliament where he chaired the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, and was heavily involved in the reversal of the ban on beef cattle exports to Indonesia in 2011. Simon Linke Director Simon is a director of Samex Australian Meat Company, an international meat trading organisation based in Adelaide, supplying Australian Beef, Lamb, Sheep and Goat meat to more than 60 countries. Simon has been involved in export for over 30 years and been fortunate to gain first hand insights into our international markets from his extensive travels and working with varied overseas clientele. Simon has been a Director of AMIC for the past 4 years while also serving on a number of industry committees. Grant Garey Director Grant was elected as President of the Australian Lot Feeders’ Associationin 2024 after serving as a Board Member since 2005, including 10 years as Vice President. He is also currently the General Manager, Feedlots for Teys Australia. Grant holds a Bachelor of Rural Science and has completed the Company Directors Course run by the Australian Institute of Company Directors Tom Maguire Director Tom brings more than 28 years of meat industry experience with him, currently serving as the Chair of the Australian Meat Industry Council as well as Group General Manager at HW Greenham and Sons. He has previously served as a Director for both SAFEMEAt and the Australian Meat Processors Corporation. Tom holds a Masters in Business Administration, a bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce. He is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Bindi Murray Director Bindi is Chair of Sheep Producers Australia and has served as a SPA Non-Executive Director since 2017. She is a commercial farmer and sheep producer in WA and has previously held roles in research, policy and advocacy, as well as experience in private, NFP and Statutory Directorships. Bindi holds a Bachelor of Animal Science, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and graduate of the Company Directors Course as well as the Rabobank Executive Leaders program. Susan Wakeford Chief Executive Officer Chief Executive Officer Susan joined RMAC as our Chief Executive Officer 2024. Prior to this, Susan worked with the NSW Department of Primary Industries and was Head of Agribusiness for Westpac. Susan brings a wealth of experience, leadership, strategic engagement and company governance. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Agribusiness, Organisational Management and Animal Science. She is also a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Our Peak Industry Body Members Research & Development Corporations

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Parliamentary Friends of Australian Red Meat 2025 The Parliamentary Friends of Australian Red Meat Group provides a non-partisan forum for Senators and Members to meet and support those who provide high quality, sustainable red meat products. The event is held at Parliament House, hosted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon. Milton Dick MP, and is supported by the Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Australian Red Meat, Senators Susan McDonald and Raff Ciccone. Thank you to our 2025 event sponsor: Supporting Sponsors: For future sponsorship opportunities, please contact us at events@rmac.com.au Event Gallery

Blog Posts (1) Other Pages (8) 1 item found for "" Australian Dietary Guidelines Review has priorities all wrong Tuesday, 20 February 2024 The Red Meat Advisory Council (RMAC) calls on the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to intervene in the review of the nation’s dietary guidelines to ensure it is based on robust nutritional science rather than misinformed sustainability proposals. This follows the NHMRC’s Dietary Guidelines Expert Committee recently confirming plans to establish a Sustainability Working Group and incorporate environmental messaging in the revised Australian Dietary Guidelines[1]. John McKillop, the Independent Chair of the Red Meat Advisory Council said, “These developments are an overreach by the Dietary Guidelines Expert Committee that goes well beyond the policy intent of the Australian Dietary Guidelines to provide recommendations on healthy foods and dietary patterns. “The red meat industry has a strong story about sustainability, so our concerns are not because we believe it’s a weakness, but because it’s not the role of the dietary guidelines nor is it the expertise of the Dietary Guidelines Expert Committee. “The nation’s dietary guidelines should be focused on promoting public health, preventing chronic diseases and ensuring that all Australian have access to accurate and reliable information about their basic nutritional requirements. “Expanding the scope of the dietary guidelines into other non-nutritional related areas will create confusion, undermine their purpose and the public’s confidence in them. “We completely agree that sustainability considerations are important for government policy making and consumer purchasing decisions, but they should not underpin our nation’s dietary recommendations. “People should have the right to feed their families nutritious food, without mixed messaging about the environment or other sustainability considerations. “Health and nutrition professionals rely on the guidelines as the basis of their advice. Expanding the scope of the guidelines will hamstring them in their ability to offer advice and force them to explain dietary considerations that fall outside of their expertise. This is going to make clear and simple nutritional messaging even more difficult. “We are calling on the NHMRC and the Dietary Guidelines Expert Committee to reconsider their plans to expand the remit of the dietary guidelines beyond nutritional science. If they refuse, we’ll be asking the Federal Government to intervene as it’s starting to look like the process is running off the rails. “There are already people who do not have access to basic nutritional requirements afforded by red meat protein, which results in adverse health outcomes. Taking a local lens, 1 in 5 women are iron deficient in Australia; we should be working to solve these problems, not make them worse. “The dietary guidelines review process must not be allowed to be used as a vehicle to drive ideological agendas at the expense of the latest available nutritional science,” said Mr McKillop. [1] https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/health-advice/nutrition/australian-dietary-guidelines-review/communicating/communique-nov-dec-2023 Background RMAC is Australia’s only policy leadership and advisory forum made up of producers, lot feeders, processors, manufacturers, retailers, and livestock exporters, representing the entire red meat supply chain from paddock to plate. RMAC members are the following prescribed Peak Industry Councils under the Australian Meat and Livestock Industry Act 1997: Media contact: Alastair James RMAC Chief Executive Officer 0428 776 626 ceo@rmac.com.au