Tony Burke has fired a pull-your-socks-up message to directors at Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) ahead of next week's board election, but concedes there's nothing the Government can do if the infighting continues.
The Minister for Agriculture has told Rural Press this week that AWI directors need to show a "higher level of unity than what's been there so far".
But he won't comment on the election process or the candidates running for a seat at wool's wobbly table.
No matter what the outcome of next week's controversial board elections at Australian Wool Innovation, there will be no intervention by the Government to change future election processes or even appoint an administrator, as suggested, if the infighting continues.
Mr Burke said AWI is "an industry-owned" corporation and "it's absolutely in the interests of the industry that they show a level of unity".
"As minister, I'm certainly not going to interfere or state an opinion on individual candidates or the election," Mr Burke said.
"But I will, on behalf of the people paying their levies to them, say that the level of disunity works against the industry."
Despite the levies being locked into place by Government legislation, there is no role for the Government in determining the election process or making improvements to the corporatised structure to get around the politicisation of board elections.
"We've got an industry-owned corporation because industry wanted it, and legislation went through the Parliament to establish it.
"The principle needs to be that industry needs to try and make this work."