Biographies of PBRAC members

Mr Doug Waterhouse (Chair)

Mr Waterhouse is a plant breeder and quantitative geneticist with more that 30 years experience in plant research including work on more that 100 native and introduced species for agricultural production and land and water reclamation. For the last 15 years he has been Chief of the Australian Plant Breeder's Rights scheme. Doug has authored more than 150 publications and reports and is a regular contributor to educational workshops on PBR in both Australia and Asia. He is Australia's representative at UPOV and in 2009 was awarded the UPOV Council Gold Medal for services to plant variety protection. 

Mr Christopher Prescott

Mr Prescott has over 25 years experience in the cut rose industry, 20 of which as the Managing Director of his own enterprise, Prescott Roses Pty Ltd. He has formally taught commercial rose growing at Swinburne University and continues today as a consultant to the industry. He has worked as a Qualified Person (QP) since 1994 on roses and other ornamentals through a centralised testing centre where he processes many applications annually. His involvement with Grandiflora Nurseries, a major cut rose agent and breeder, began in 2004 and he takes an active role on variety selections and IP strategies. He has been nominated by the Nursery and Garden Industry of Victoria (NGIV) in this application. He currently resides in Clyde, Victoria.

Mr Denis McGrath

Mr McGrath has extensive experience in the Australian Seed Industry, having managed a pasture seed and a broad-acre seed company during the past 10 years. In these management roles, he has been able to gain a sound understanding of the agreements required to manage all aspects of the seed/grain development chain including plant breeding, variety evaluation, seed production, seed distribution, seed marketing and interaction with end-users. Mr McGrath also works extensively as an industry consultant in agronomy. He holds Bachelor degrees in Agricultural Science and Business (Marketing). Mr McGrath has been supported in this application by referees from the Grains Research and Development Corporation, Australian Grain Technologies and LongReach Plant Breeders. He currently resides in Geelong, Victoria.

Mr Kerrie Gleeson

Mr Gleeson has had an extensive career in most facets of the grains and seeds industry. He has gained extensive practical experience in research and development, plant breeding, seed production, distribution, sales and marketing of seed products across a wide range of agricultural production systems throughout Australasia.  Mr Gleeson has been nominated by the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Seed Federation in this application. He currently resides in Dubbo, New South Wales.

Ms Penny Hendy

Ms Hendy is a primary producer specialising in pasture seed production. She has extensive experience in representing the interests of the pasture seed industry. Her involvement as Chairperson of a RIRDC Advisory Committee, a Director of the Australian Seeds Authority and past Chairperson of the GCA Seed Committee has exposed her to issues ranging from the cultivation of genetically modified plants and the enforcement of PBR rights to the collection of royalties and the elimination of risks to the environment from agriculture. Ms Hendy was nominated by the Victorian Farmers Federation Grains Group. She currently resides in Victoria.

Prof Robert Henry

Professor Henry is Professor of Innovation in Agriculture and Director of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation an Institute of the University of Queensland conducting research in plant, animal and food science in partnership with the Queensland Government.  Robert Henry is a highly published and cited scientist with a background in the application of molecular techniques to identify plant variations useful in agriculture, especially in the development of higher value crops. He has a keen interest in the diverse uses of plants and this is reflected in his latest book Plant Resources for Food, Fuel and Conservation.  He has written and edited several books on plant molecular biology and product quality and published more than 200 peer reviewed scientific papers and more than 500 national and international conference papers. He has been identified as one of the most cited scientists in agriculture in international scientific literature over the last 20 years. He is a senior editor of the Plant Biotechnology Journal (Wiley Blackwell), Associate Editor of Conservation Genetics (Springer). He was made a fellow of the RACI in 1993, received the Guthrie Award in 2000 and is Managing Director of Puragrain Pty Ltd and Australian Plants Pty Ltd. Prof Henry established the Australian Plant DNA Bank in 2001, and he is CEO of Australian Plant DNA Bank Ltd. He holds a Bachelor degree in Biochemistry, a Masters degree in Biological Science and Doctorates in Biochemistry and Botany. He is currently a member of the Australian Research Council, College of Experts. Prof Henry has been supported by referees from Southern Cross University. He currently lives in Brisbane.

Mr John Collyer

Mr Collyer was founding chairman of the Worn Gundidj Aboriginal Co-op and currently holds the position of Executive Chairman. Worn Gundidj Aboriginal Co-op was a founding member of Indigenous Australian Foods Limited (IAF) that provided a commercial entry point into the bush foods industry for a number of indigenous-owned corporations. Another Worn Gundidj interest includes an industry partnership where native plants with cosmetic and therapeutic qualities are sourced for commercial adaptation.

Mr Collyer has extensive experience in business and government and has brought to the committee a practical understanding of indigenous issues regarding the commercialisation of native Australian plants for bush food products. He is focused on creating business and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people in cultivation and wild-harvesting of native plants. He currently resides in Warrnambool, Victoria.

Prof Brad Sherman

Professor Sherman is Deputy Dean of Research and Director of the Socio-Legal Research Centre at Griffith University, Queensland. Professor Sherman is also the Director of the Australian Centre for Intellectual Property in Agriculture (ACIPA), a leading body involved in public education regarding Plant Breeder's Rights. He has participated in and facilitated over 50 educational workshops in rural Australia providing information about PBR and related issues. He is a member of the Intellectual Property Section of the Law Council of Australia. He currently resides in Brisbane, Queensland.

Last Updated: 29/9/2011