Australian Wheat Board

Created in September 1939, at the outbreak of the Second World War, under the National Security (Wheat Acquisition) Regulations to acquire and market the whole wheat harvest. It was continued after the war as the industry's statutory marketing body under the Wheat Industry Stabilization Act 1948 and later stabilisation and wheat marketing Acts. It had no legal continuity with the First World War board of the same name.

Legislation: National Security (Wheat Acquisition) Regulations; Wheat Industry Stabilization Act 1948; Wheat Marketing Act 1979; Wheat Marketing Act 1984; Wheat Marketing Act 1989

1. 1948The Wheat Industry Stabilization Act 1948 and complementary state Acts continued the board as the statutory marketing authority under the first post-war wheat stabilisation scheme.
2. 1979The Wheat Marketing Act 1979 replaced the wheat stabilisation legislation as the board's enabling Act.
3. 1984The Wheat Marketing Act 1984 replaced the Wheat Marketing Act 1979 as the board's enabling Act.
4. 1 July 1989The Wheat Marketing Act 1989 deregulated the domestic wheat market, ending the board's domestic monopoly while preserving its control of bulk exports.

Ceased on 1 July 1999 under the Wheat Marketing Legislation Amendment Act 1998: its commercial operations and the export single desk passed to the grower-owned AWB Limited group, and the statutory role of controlling wheat exports passed to the new Wheat Export Authority.

• Acquisition and pooling of the wheat harvest
• Domestic wheat marketing (monopoly until 1989)
• Bulk wheat export marketing under the single desk
• Payments and advances to growers from wheat pools
• Administration of wheat stabilisation price arrangements
• Borrowing to finance harvest payments

Last in the portfolio of Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

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Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.