Organic Industries of Australia is so proud that our Chair has been awarded a significant honour in today's Australia Day Awards.
Dalene Wray AM was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the organic beef industry, and to professional organisations.
Dalene has played a pivotal role in establishing a broad-based peak body to represent all organic farmers, processors and exporters. Her contribution to the organic industry in this role, and more generally her contribution to the development of an organic beef industry in Australia, is most worthy of the award of an AM.
Dalene has been a driving force at OBE Organic Beef for around 20 years. Her involvement in organic industry governance and advocacy started in 2017, when she became involved in the Australian Organic Industry Working Group, established by the Deputy Prime Minister to improve representation of the organic industry to Government.
In 2018, Dalene became a founding Director of Organic Industries of Australia—the industry peak body which arose form that AOIWG process—and later became its second Chair. She guided OIA Ltd and the industry on complex issues, particularly through leadership on the following issues:
- lobbying the Australian Government on governance reform of the organic industry, especially in relation to the Government's regulation of organic exports from Australia
- representing all organic operators on the Minister for Agriculture's Organic Industry Working Group to advise on the adequacy of domestic regulation of organic products
- the development of an organic industry export strategy and implementation plan
Dalene is also passionate about indigenous reconciliation and mental health issues.
OBE Organic
- Managing Director (since 2017)
- General Manager (2012-2017)
- Deputy General Manager (2011-2012)
- Regional Manager Asia (2009-2011)
- Export Manager (2008-2009)
- Business Development Manager (2003-2007)
Organic Industries of Australia
- Chair (2019-2021, 2022-current)
- Director (2018-2021, 2022-current)
Australian Meat Industry Council
- Former Chair, Communications and Advocacy Industry Reference Committee
- Former Member, Meat Business Women Committee
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
- Member, Australian Organic Industry Working Group (2017-2018 and 2020-2021)
- Member, Industry Advisory Group, Farm Cooperatives and Collaboration Pilot Program (2016-2018)
- Former Member, Halal Consultative Committee
Other
- Member, Telstra Regional Advisory Council, Queensland (current)
- Deputy Chair, Council for Australian-Arab Relations, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2017-2020)
Community
- Mentor, Mentor Walks (2019-2021)
- Chair, Southern Cross Catholic College School Board (current)
- Justice of the Peace
- Accredited Mental Health First Aider
Awards and Recognition include
- Food and Agriculture Award, Advance (2018)
- Beef Achiever of the Year, Queensland Country Life (2018)
- Chief Executive Women—Austrade ‘Women in Export Scholarship’ to Harvard Business School (2018)
- Queensland Country Life ‘Beef Achiever of the Year’ Award (the first woman in the award’s history)
- Advance Award—Food & Agribusiness