Russell Barnett
Partner, Australian Venture Consultants & Chair, WRL
Russell (Russ) Barnett is a partner with Australian Venture Consultants, where he leads the firm’s policy and strategy consultancy. He has over 25 years of experience in complex strategy and policy analysis across a range of industries in the Australasian and Asia Pacific Region, with a main focus on the primary and extractive industries, their allied industries, natural resource management and regional development.
Through Australian Venture Consultants, Russ has led significant national studies pertaining to marine issues including fisheries resource access security and has worked extensively with the Western Rock Lobster industry on resource access issues. Most notably authoring WRL’s nationally significant ‘Secure Fishery Resource Access in Western Australia: Policy Position Paper’ (2020), conducting all of the due diligence and drafting for both WRL’s Research Network proposal and Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) Plan, and performing a crucial role as Independent Chair during the WRL negotiations with the Western Australian Government with respect to Minister Kelly’s proposed changes to the allocation of the Western Rock Lobster Resource in 2018.
Russ has significant corporate governance experience having served in board and board leadership roles across the corporate, government and academic sectors. He is also currently an Independent Director of Nyamba Buru Yawuru Limited and holds an honorary associate professorship at the Australian National University.
