Welcome to new Chair and Deputy Chair

August 20, 2025

The Crawford Fund for Food Security is pleased to welcome Ms Su McCluskey, former Special Representative for Australian Agriculture, as new Chair of the Board of Directors and The Hon Joel Fitzgibbon, former Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry as Deputy Chair. Both were appointed at the most recent Crawford Fund AGM.

In her first public statement as incoming chair of the Crawford Fund for Food Security, Ms McCluskey has welcomed the Government’s commitment to a National Food Security Strategy and called for stronger leadership across the Indo-Pacific region (press release here).

“Food security is a human right. Yet today more than 673 million people are hungry, and 150 million children under five are stunted. Australia is perfectly placed to take the lead on reducing hunger in our region. We have decades of engagement in the Indo-Pacific area, world class research institutions and a unique government partnership model led by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

“The annual Crawford Fund conference held last week in Canberra heard that global organisations such as ASEAN, the G20 and UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) are recognising the urgent need to transition to food systems that increase food production while reducing the impact on the environment.

“As Chair of the Crawford Fund I look forward to working closely with the Federal Government and ACIAR to promote Australia’s contribution to regional food security through increased investment in agricultural research partnerships and capacity building within Australia and internationally.”

Ms McCluskey said research partnerships with emerging countries not only resulted in enhanced food security but strengthened Australia’s strategic relationships.

Ms McCluskey joined the Crawford Fund Board in 2024 and until recently was the first Special Representative for Australian Agriculture. She is an experienced senior business executive and company director with a strong background in agricultural policy, production and research. The Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon, former Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, has been appointed as Deputy Chair.

Ms McCluskey thanked outgoing Crawford Fund Chair the Hon. John Anderson AC for his exceptional contribution to Crawford Fund initially leading the NSW Committee and then as Chair of the Board for the last eight years. 

Some of the media attention to the new appointments are listed below:

New Crawford Fund chair urges Australia to take lead on food security (Beef Central)
New Crawford Fund chair urges Australia to take lead on food security (Sheep Central)