Patrick Desmond Rowley CMG (born 23 September 1935) is an Australian agricultural leader. He was chairman of the Australian Dairy Farmers Federation from 1977 until 2006, during which time he assisted in initiating significant industry changes. The

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described him in 2003 as "the most influential figure in the history of Australian dairy farming".

Personal life

Early life

Rowley was born to Charles "Charlie" Rowley and Lilian Henn éeon September 23, 1935, in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Victoria. He is the eldest of four siblings. The family moved to

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, and established their dairy farm in

Burpengary Burpengary is a town and suburb in the City of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Burpengary had a population of 16,488 people. It is by road from the Brisbane central business district. Geography The locality is boun ...

, north of Brisbane, where Rowley Road is today. Pat Rowley attended Marist College, Ashgrove, a

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boarding school for boys, from grades 5–12.

Marriage and children

Rowley married Mary Monica Rospigaroff éeon September 12, 1959, at St Peter's Catholic Church in Caboolture, Queensland, after meeting at a Junior Farmers gathering in Caboolture. After marrying, the couple moved to

Dayboro Dayboro is a rural town and locality in the City of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Dayboro had a population of 2,376 people. Geography Dayboro is approximately north-northwest of Brisbane, the state capital. ...

, north-northwest of Brisbane They have five children together and as of 2020, have a total of eleven grandchildren. Mary died at their farm on 16 July 2021, after having received a terminal cancer diagnosis of

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is the most aggressive and most common type of cancer that originates in the brain, and has a very poor prognosis for survival. Initial signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nons ...

exactly one month prior.

Religious views

Rowley, along with his wife, identify as

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, a denomination of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

Career

Positions held

The deregulation of the Australian dairy industry - 2000

In 1984, in an effort to make the export of milk more competitive, the federal government undertook a Public Benefit test to examine the benefits of the current regulation levies in place across all Australian states. After most states failed to prove public benefit, the State Dairy Authorities concluded the results proved ending regulation would ultimately benefit the dairy industry. Because the current legislation prevented the interstate sales of milk and other dairy based products, the government determined that

deregulation Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a ...

would relieve significant pressure on the commercial sales of milk in Victoria, in which the largest production of dairyfarming, and manufacture of milk, occurred.In 1999, the federal government announced plans to implement the Dairy Structural Adjustment Program (DSAP), a scheme that would be introduced nationwide to deregulate the dairy industry. This involved the removal of state and federal legislation surrounding the manufacture, sourcing and pricing of milk as a commodity. Deregulation would ensure a far more competitive dairy industry while simultaneously benefiting consumers by lowering retail prices of milk. Prior to deregulation, the Domestic Market Support scheme, a federal initiative, ensured that dairy farmers across Australia received efficient financial compensation for their contributions to the commercial dairy industry. Recognising the inevitable and the chaos that would follow, the Australian Dairy Industry Council, chaired by Rowley, approached the government in partnership with Federal Minister for Primary Industry

John Kerin John Charles Kerin (21 November 1937 – 29 March 2023) was an Australian economist and Labor Party politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1975 and again from 1978 to 1993. He held a number of senior ministerial r ...

, with a proposal that would better prepare farmers for the deregulation of the industry in a commercial climate. The DSAP significantly lessened the blow of the inevitable industry restructure, and provided dairy farmers with a choice to remain in the industry or to leave with financial compensation. A levy of 11 cents per litre was also imposed upon commercial dairy based beverages. Despite a dramatic decrease in dairy farms across the nation, many farmers believe the effects of deregulation in the absence of Rowley's initiative would have been utterly devastating. The DSAP significantly lessened the blow of the inevitable industry restructure, and provided dairy farmers with a choice to remain in the industry or to leave with financial compensation. “We could have let commercial forces take prices down and hurt people very badly. What we did was go in front of government, put all those facts in front of them and say we think that on the first of July there ought to be some help. We put together the biggest re-structure scheme in the history of agriculture, $2.1 billion, to farmers on the basis this game is going to get hard in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

and

, you need to use this money to get yourself into the new market realities to try and be able to operate. We never ever said it was going to be easy, it was going to be tough. There was very little impact in a state like

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, but we had to have a national scheme,” Rowley said in an interview for

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Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions

References

External links

Australian Dairy Farmers

Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme

Australian Dairy Industry Council

Dairy Australia

Queensland Dairyfarmers' Organisation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowley, Patrick 1935 births Living people Businesspeople in the dairy industry Businesspeople from Melbourne People educated at Marist College Ashgrove