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<pre>Hi to all,

You've seen Roger's suggestion that you read the AOA Draft Strategic
Plan. I suspect that many of you cannot be bothered, especially at
Easter time and so close to harvest time. It is very interesting and
will affect most growers and processors. So, with my apologies and
your permission, I've prepared a critical but hopefully constructive
overview of the plan.

Key Points Summary:
1. The document title is "Australian Olive Industry Strategic Plan
2003-2008" but in reality it is a Strategic Plan 2003-2008 for
Australian Olive Association Limited, the peak industry body.
2. Significant new funding initiatives are proposed affecting all
growers, with quite substantial revenue streams to be managed by the
AOA.
3. There are a number of real shortcomings, not least of which is the
lack of any financial forecasts to indicate proposed AOA expenditures
on industry programs they want to manage.

Discussion of Key Points:
1. This is a draft strategic plan for the Australian Olive
Association, not for the Australian Olive Industry itself. Very
briefly, here's what I see as the key issues at each level:

Key Issues for the Industry:
- how Australian growers/companies can develop effective
import-substitution strategies,
- how Australian exporters of olive products can effectively compete
in export markets,
- how to develop processing capacity for the projected olive supply.

Key Issues for the AOA:
- how to attract and retain membership from the smaller but numerous
olive growers,
- how to define its role vis-a-vis the state and regional organisations, and
- how to substantially increase its revenue base to take meaningful
policy actions.

2. The AOA is proposing some very significant alternative ways of
increasing its revenue base (in light of declining membership and
membership fees).

- A compulsory levy on fruit delivered to processors, to be spent on
industry R&D,
- A voluntary levy on fruit delivered to processors, to be spent on
promotion and admin.
- A fee on QA labels and related items for processors/producers
participating in the program.

The AOA expects to legislate the compulsory levy which will be
assessed and collected by processors. With an estimated 9 million
trees planted, even a small levy could generate substantial revenue.

3. Key shortcomings of the document include the following:

- No indication of the proposed cost of the strategy initiatives
suggested in the document,
- No section on R&D strategy and priorities for the industry (earlier
R&D plan noted),
- No intention to collect/analyse key industry data needed for
industry strategic planning,
- No plan to attract and retain industry members; this is compulsory
membership via levy,
- No substance to education, training and skills development
strategy, and finally
- No justification for proposed new organisation structure and
membership classes.

To help implement the strategic plan, an Industry CEO will be
appointed and an administrative office established.

That's enough I think :-). The AOA is calling for your views on the
Draft Strategic Plan. If you wish to make your views heard, you have
until 19th May 2003.

Regards to all,
Lambros Karavis.

P.S. The document in its 25 page entirety is available from the AOA web site.

--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
---------------------------
Karavis & Associates Phone: (+61) 414 997 997
850 Buffalo-Stony Creek Rd Fax/Voice Mail:
(+61) 3 9923 6999
Stony Creek VIC 3957 eMail: lkaravis@...
Australia

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<pre>on 19/4/03 2:22 AM, Lambros Karavis at lkaravis@... wrote:

> Hi to all,
>
> You've seen Roger's suggestion that you read the AOA Draft Strategic
> Plan. I suspect that many of you cannot be bothered, especially at
> Easter time and so close to harvest time. It is very interesting and
> will affect most growers and processors. So, with my apologies and
> your permission, I've prepared a critical but hopefully constructive
> overview of the plan.
>
> Key Points Summary:
> 1. The document title is "Australian Olive Industry Strategic Plan
> 2003-2008" but in reality it is a Strategic Plan 2003-2008 for
> Australian Olive Association Limited, the peak industry body.
> 2. Significant new funding initiatives are proposed affecting all
> growers, with quite substantial revenue streams to be managed by the
> AOA.
> 3. There are a number of real shortcomings, not least of which is the
> lack of any financial forecasts to indicate proposed AOA expenditures
> on industry programs they want to manage.

----------------- the rest is in the original posting ----------

I agree with your comments but there are also other issues. Of concern to me
is also the fact that many regional associations, and even the Victorian
Olive Council, are not properly constituted to be fit agencies that will
control growers access to the AOA.

Many growers do not belong to any regional association for very good
reasons, but they are the backbone of the olive industry.

I think the proposed "strategic plan" will lead to the demise of the AOA if
it is implemented and I will fight any compulsory levy to fund the AOA.

The timing is bad as we are under pressure processing a crop that is
ripening very quickly because of the drier than average season.

Regards

Sil Garoni


SIL GARONI
ALPINE OLIVES
"MULLAGONG"
R M B 1097 WODONGA
VICTORIA 3690
PHONE 0418 690616
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<pre>--- In OliveOil@yahoogroups.com, Lambros Karavis <lkaravis@k...>
wrote:
> Hi to all,
>
> You've seen Roger's suggestion that you read the AOA Draft
Strategic
> Plan. I suspect that many of you cannot be bothered, especially at
> Easter time and so close to harvest time. It is very interesting
and
> will affect most growers and processors. So, with my apologies and
> your permission, I've prepared a critical but hopefully
constructive
> overview of the plan.

Lambros makes a lot of VERY salient points here, and I think warning
bells should be ringing through every Australian olive grower at the
information contained in the AOA draft.

For me, there are several questions that this document raises,
including but not limited to:

*Who will collect and enforce a compulsory and voluntary levy on
fruit delivered to processors? Who decides where said money will be
spent and on what parameters are such decisions based ?

*Where are the R&D targets? Who will decides what aspects of our
industry receive R&D funding and what aspects don't?

*In the absence of any mention of industry data analysis, how can we
make plans for an industry when even such basic data as tree numbers
seem to be unquantified?

*What are the "import replacement" strategies?

*Why do we need new membership classes?

*Precisely what is happening with the QA program?

And on a more general level........

*What is happening with the recent negotiations for selling off The
Olive Press to commercial interests?

*Why are the minutes of our elected board representative's meetings
being withheld from members? (N.B. full minutes have not been posted
for over a year, and in fact the redactions of the board minutes have
recently been further and purposefully abbreviated).

*What has happened to the AUD$350,000 the "large growers group" has
pledged to the AOA at last year's conference in Adelaide?

Lots of questions, but really, if we don't ask these sorts of
questions and discuss these sorts of issues, we only have ourselves
to blame for the consequences. I thank and applaud Lambros, Roger &
Sil for raising some crucial points for our consideration.

Postively yours,
Sodium!


p.s. To those who constantly demonstrate their willingness to
criticise and stifle a frank and honest debate on this subject, may I
offer a small suggestion? If you don't like the topic, do us all a
favour and don't respond. If you do feel the need to respond, please
do us the courtesy of addressing the issues raised rather than making
more of the usual personal attacks on the persons who post the
questions.
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<pre>Dear All,

While I readily acknowledge that this newsgroup in international, I think it
is fair to say that a significant proportion of the posts come from
Australia, and this is a very valid forum to discuss such matters.

Nick has highlighted a number of points (below), but I have a real fear that
we are going to get seriously bogged down in the detail of haggling over
minor issues (such as *Who will collect and enforce a compulsory and
voluntary levy on fruit delivered to processors? Who decides where said
money will be spent and on what parameters are such decisions based ?)
which while vitally important, tend to pale into insignificance when weighed
against the Big Question :

The AOA in its Review of Draft Strategy Plan 2003-08 has set up a 5 year
plan for the industry. Is this what we, the small scale growers, want? If
so, fine. If not, how are we going to be able to change it? Do we as growers
have any way of actually influencing the AOA?

I don't have an answer: but I do have a lot of questions, and I don't know
who to ask.

Mike Wilson
Hunter Valley.


> Lambros makes a lot of VERY salient points here, and I think warning
> bells should be ringing through every Australian olive grower at the
> information contained in the AOA draft.
>
> For me, there are several questions that this document raises,
> including but not limited to:
>
> *Who will collect and enforce a compulsory and voluntary levy on
> fruit delivered to processors? Who decides where said money will be
> spent and on what parameters are such decisions based ?
>
> *Where are the R&D targets? Who will decides what aspects of our
> industry receive R&D funding and what aspects don't?
>
> *In the absence of any mention of industry data analysis, how can we
> make plans for an industry when even such basic data as tree numbers
> seem to be unquantified?
>
> *What are the "import replacement" strategies?
>
> *Why do we need new membership classes?
>
> *Precisely what is happening with the QA program?
>
> And on a more general level........
>
> *What is happening with the recent negotiations for selling off The
> Olive Press to commercial interests?
>
> *Why are the minutes of our elected board representative's meetings
> being withheld from members? (N.B. full minutes have not been posted
> for over a year, and in fact the redactions of the board minutes have
> recently been further and purposefully abbreviated).
>
> *What has happened to the AUD$350,000 the "large growers group" has
> pledged to the AOA at last year's conference in Adelaide?
>
> Lots of questions, but really, if we don't ask these sorts of
> questions and discuss these sorts of issues, we only have ourselves
> to blame for the consequences. I thank and applaud Lambros, Roger &
> Sil for raising some crucial points for our consideration.
>
> Postively yours,
> Sodium!
>
>
> p.s. To those who constantly demonstrate their willingness to
> criticise and stifle a frank and honest debate on this subject, may I
> offer a small suggestion? If you don't like the topic, do us all a
> favour and don't respond. If you do feel the need to respond, please
> do us the courtesy of addressing the issues raised rather than making
> more of the usual personal attacks on the persons who post the
> questions.
>
>
>
>
>
> **************************************************
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>
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>
>
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<pre>Mike you said;

"While I readily acknowledge that this newsgroup in international, I
think it is fair to say that a significant proportion of the posts come
from Australia, and this is a very valid forum to discuss such matters.

Nick has highlighted a number of points (below), but I have a real fear
that we are going to get seriously bogged down in the detail of haggling
over minor issues....."



I would say that in this particular matter the devil's well and truly in
the details, and that these might well be of interest to others as they
touch on issues of compliance with principles of corporate
responsibility and enforceable codes of conduct; operational
transparency, accountability, mandatory reporting .....

I also have some questions, fired off an email to the registered office
of the AOA and have been (anonymously) advised that "Chuck is on
holidays at the moment. He will be back on line around 1 May and I’m
sure he will respond then."

Crikeys!








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