WMRR Board Meeting Communiqué – June 2026

 
The WMRR Board met on 22 June 2026 ahead of the ENVIRO Conference at the Adelaide Convention Centre to consider the Association's governance, financial performance, strategic priorities and national policy advocacy activities.

I am pleased to report that the Association remains in a strong and stable position. Ahead of the 2026 Annual General Meeting and the end of the financial year, the Board noted the positive outcome of the 2025 external audit and unanimously approved the 2025 Audited Financial Report. The Board also reviewed WMRR's financial performance to 31 May 2026, noting that membership remains stable at just over 2,300 members across Australia, slightly ahead of the same period last year.

The Board welcomed the successful delivery of the pilot of WMRR’s Foundations of Waste and Resource Recovery training program in June in Melbourne. The training received extremely positive feedback, and we will be shortly confirming face to face training days for New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland for this year, with the goal to undertake online training too in 2027 to make sure this is available to our regional and rural members.  The Board also received progress updates on other significant organisational initiatives including the inaugural State of the Nation Waste and Resource Recovery Report –now in its final drafting stage and expected to be released in early August, the rollout of WMRR's refreshed brand from July 2026, the development of the Association's new CRM and website, and planning for the 2026 Strategy Day, which will inform the development of WMRR's Strategic Business Plan 2027–2030.

The Board considered a number of key national policy issues affecting the sector, including the development of PFAS threshold levels for compost and organics, continued advocacy for mandated source-separated organics collections, including Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO), and opportunities for WMRR to contribute to future revisions of Australian Standard AS 4454. Directors also received updates on the parliamentary inquiries into Energy from Waste in New South Wales and Victoria, together with the progress of ongoing engagement with the Australian Government on packaging reform, product stewardship frameworks and the continued alignment of carbon, circular economy and resource recovery policy. This was particularly relevant given the recent restructure of the Victorian agencies and changes to the federal department and establishment of the national EPA. Directors also considered several significant state policy developments, including the recently released Queensland Waste Strategy and the current consultation for the Tasmanian Waste Strategy was also noted.

The meeting also marked the final Board meeting for outgoing Vice President, Isabel Axiö, who has completed two (2) consecutive two-year terms on the WMRR Board. On behalf of the Association, I thank Isabel for her outstanding contribution, leadership and commitment over the past four (4) years, particularly for her last two (2) years as WMRR Vice President. As our next meeting, the Board will welcome current WMRR WA State President Jason Pugh as Vice President for the 2026–2028 term. Jason will also assume the role of Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Just as the Board is refreshed for the 2026-2028 term, WMRR will also be calling for nominations for the State Branch Presidents and Vice Presidents in coming weeks, and I encourage all members to consider taking the opportunity to become more involved in the Association. Keep an eye on your inbox for details of nominations. Our incoming State Branch Presidents will be working directly with the Board on the WMRR Strategic Business Plan 2027-2030. I am looking forward to meeting our newly elected State Branch Office Bearers at the Strategy Day later this year in Sydney.