I WOULD like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude and thanks to the many people from across your community who have made time to speak with me, either in person or on the phone, as I know this time of year is incredibly difficult for you all.
I am also truly grateful for the support and encouragement that so many of you afforded me during my time in the area last week.
Since being elected to the Board of Murray Irrigation Ltd in 2021, I have developed a special connection with the region and I have appreciated the friendliness and welcoming nature from so many of you in the community, with my husband now referring to Deniliquin and the broader NSW Murray region as “my second home”.
For Murray Irrigation Ltd shareholders, I appreciate this is a very difficult and confusing time. The majority of you are telling me you do not want a general meeting and the Board should get on with the job of providing the right level of direction for the company.
I can assure you, as I have already said to many of you in the past week, I am committed to doing what is right for the company, what is right for our staff and what is right for our community, and removing me as a Non-Member Director is not good for any of these.
Over the last week I encountered a number of inaccuracies that have been perpetuated within the footprint with one in particular being so inaccurate I am going to address it here today.
There have been assertions made that my additional engagement as an ICT consultant was a deal done between myself and the CEO and that somehow I am receiving kickbacks from ICT companies. This assertion has no factual basis, so if you could indulge me let me provide you with the actual facts:
· The previous Chair approached me and asked me to consider being part of the ICT Steering Committee
· I considered this option and when I accepted, it was discussed by the previous Board, excluding myself due to the conflict
· The Board endorsed this engagement as it was in line with constitutional parameters and multiple legal teams reviewed the arrangement with no issues found
· I then participated in a Response to Tender as per normal probity requirements and was found suitable
· This role is an overseeing role. I will not be undertaking “the actual work”, I will just be providing oversight from my experience having delivered multiple transformation programs.
I also want to acknowledge the staff of Murray Irrigation who have done and continue to do such an exemplary job in spite of the current circumstances, with many of you reiterating this to me, in particular the MIL Customer Engagement Team, who have made a real difference in this space.
This is the first of many visits that I and my colleague Robert will be making to the MIL region before the general meeting on April 10.
I would like to close by inviting any of you to reach out to me on 0439 530 469 for any further information that you may want to discuss.
Thank you again for welcoming me.
Trish Gorman
