After months of fielding calls from fellow wool producers urging the Gippsland, Vic, commercial Merino man to put his hand up for this year’s WoolProducers Australia election, Mr Harrison said he is determined, if elected, to strive for unification and represent the grass roots grower.

A woolgrower for 25 years, 43-year old Mr Harrison is a new face in the four-man race for three positions, with Western Australia’s Max Watts, NSW producer Charles Merriman and Western Victorian Jim Kennedy - his opposition – all seeking re-election. (See below).

Mr Harrison, a Victorian Farmers Federation livestock councilor, supports WoolProducers working in consultation with Australian Wool Innovation as a key to stimulate industry growth.

He dismisses views that WoolProducers has become obsolete.

“Yes, the profile of WoolProducers needs to be raised, but it plays an integral role in a lot of the decisions that effect the grassroots producer and they need to be a part of it,” he says, citing that it is being a “grass roots producer” and wanting a profitable industry for the future for himself and fellow wool producers that led to his name being on the card.

The aspiring independent director avows lifting the Merino base as vital to improving the industries’ profitability.

At a time when WoolProducers has been vocal of AWI’s “ignorant” approach, Mr Harrison is making a bold pitch for fewer, rather than more, internal rifts.

“There are a lot of decisions made that affect woolgrowers and they need to be able to have a voice in those decisions,” he says.

But he insists there is a difference between debate and mudslinging.

“It’s become 'Liberal versus Labor'.”

Woolproducers executive director Greg Weller says independent directors play a unique role in the organisation, where they can play devil's advocate.

“At WoolProducers, what we're working on is ensuring that, no matter what the issue, the interest of woolgrowers is being looked out all the time,” Mr Weller says.