| Mission & Vision |
| Strategic Plan & Objectives |
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Welcome to the Oil Mallee Association (OMA) website; the mallee portal - the place for information, news and analysis on the oil mallee industry. The founders of the OMA can be justifiably proud with the creation of a new direction for agriculture and for its export to the rest of Australia. We believe that this WA innovation is as important as the no till farming phenomenon, which started in WA and has now spread across the nation.
The OMA is dedicated to the extension of mallees as a landscape scale NRM tool for delivery of environmental services to help manage excessive water in the landscape and the potential spread of salinity, reducing the impact of wind erosion and providing an additional source of income for farmers through active management of carbon sequestration and bioenergy programs.
The branding of this movement as "oil mallee" comes from the intensive domestication of the different species of mallee eucalypts and their categorisation as being suitable for different uses in different regions. The research and development over many years has resulted in significant gains in vigour (growth) and in cineole (the core ingredient in eucalyptus oil). The level of cineole is important for eucalyptus oil production but also as a deterrent to grazing while in the early stages of growth.
The development of this new website will bring together research and articles for the first time. The information is available to ensure interested parties are well informed as the new generation of carbon sequestration and bioenergy commences, following a period of uncertainty and a policy vacuum.
In the early 1990's, Professor Allan Barton from Murdoch University, approached CALM with work that he had done in the mid-80's exploring the properties of eucalyptus oil, and more specifically one of its constituents, cineole. Professor Barton believed there was potential to grow Eucalypt mallees across the WA Wheatbelt to help lower the water table and also for harvesting them for their eucalyptus oil.
With greater resources at its disposal, CALM developed the concept with a dedicated group of farmers in Kalannie. Over a period of several years, this core group led by the late Don Stanley (inaugural Oil Mallee Association (OMA) president), persisted in encouraging farmers to plant oil mallees in co-operation with CALM. Together they also guided development of a prototype harvester, necessary to harvest the mallees of varying morphology (shape and size). The Oil Mallee Association continues today to support its members and help promote the industry.
The OMA currently has a grower base of over 900 farmers. The state itself is divided up into 6 regions, ranging from Esperance in the Southeast, up to Yuna in the North West. Appropriate species are available through the oil mallee program to suit all soil types found throughout this area.
Our mission (enduring sense of purpose) for the OMA is to ensure mallees are adopted as widely as possible in dryland Australia and that considerations of design and grower engagement are fundamental to the establishment of this new woody crop.
Our vision (how we are perceived) is for the OMA to be recognised as the predominant authority on the oil mallee industry and that its message is transmitted throughout Australia via regional bodies and alliances; for oil mallee plantations to become an important part of the total ecosystem and a valuable addition to farming income through distributed energy programs which utilise mallee biomass in many forms.
The objectives of the Oil Mallee Association, as stated in the Constitution, are:
There is a growing need for an industry group to lead discussion, advocacy and policy change. Individual farmers and researchers need a representative voice and have strongly supported the OMA in this role, acknowledging the OMA as the primary source of advice on the Oil Mallee Industry.
The number of commercial businesses have increased to the point where a definition of what is required to drive the industry forward is required to influence policy. A maturing industry will need the support of an industry association.
The time has come to focus on those activities and projects that are most likely to succeed in the task of producing a viable and influential body.
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The Oil Mallee Association is an incorporated association under the WA Incorporations Act 1987. The association changed its constitution in 2009 to accommodate the adoption of a national role and to change from a regional structure of oil mallee growers to the possibility of a more broadly based organisation enabling interested people to stand for election at an Annual General Meeting of members.
The property and income of the Association shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the Association and no part of that property or income may be paid or otherwise distributed, directly or indirectly, to members, except in good faith in the promotion of those objects.
The Oil Mallee Association has a Management Committee comprising of 6 elected Committee members who meet quarterly each year. Their roles, appointment/retirement and responsibilities are outlined in the OMA Constitution. The OMA Management Committee members are:
Membership of the OMA is open to all interested people in the industry, to participate in:
The OMA is keen to have a diverse membership and is keen to maintain a strong regional representation on its Management Committee.
The OMA strongly represents the interests of all stakeholders and is particularly keen to champion the interests of farmers and growers in the industry. The growers founded the Association and have retained an interest in its future development.
Please download our membership application form here or contact us direct.
We need your support.