Membership of Property Rights Australia is currently managed by an executive comprised of:
DALE STILLER – Chair
Dale Stiller is a cattleman from southern inland Queensland who manages land that straddles the Fitzroy and the Condamine/Balonne watersheds of various land types from brigalow uplands, sustainable native timber and bluegrass floodplain. Mr Stiller strongly believes that blanket regulation overreach based on cherry picked flawed science, driven by remote political outcomes is highly detrimental to social cohesion, productivity and in some cases to the environment itself. It is highly desirable that landowners can again feel they are trusted with their local knowledge and in a cooperative approach there is an exchange of information from land managers and field based scientific study to ensure real, positive advancement. Mr Stiller, is a long-time board member, served as Chairperson for three years from 2015-2017 and after a break again returned to the board. Dale has been the Chairperson since 2024.
JIM WILLMOTT
Jim Willmott is a long-term defender of the rights of regional communities.
Inspired by his love of rural Queensland, Jim has led many successful initiatives protecting the rights of farmers and their properties. He has played an active role in many organisations, standing up to government and commercial entities that ride rough shot over people’s livelihoods and property rights. Jim now leads Property Rights Australia (PRA), a grass roots organisation that supports local communities whose property rights are under threat and their voices are not being heard.
Jim joined PRA because he wanted to help protect peoples’ hard earned property rights. He believes in enduring private property rights are fundamental to the prosperity and sustainability of rural, regional, and urban communities across Australia. He is now part of an organisation that is standing up to defend and protect our properties now and for future generations.
DEREK SHEPPARD – Secretary
Derek Sheppard brings to Property Rights Australia hard-won experience defending property rights against unreasonable government decisions. In the early 1980s, he and his wife faced resistance seeking approval for a carport against a boundary fence in Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, simply because no one else had done so. Later, after relocating a colonial farmhouse to their land in Clifton, councillors overruled approved plans, objecting to its north-east orientation and salmon-pink colour. The Shire Building Inspector threatened to resign over the demands, yet the house remained as approved.
In the mid-1990s, Derek helped establish a democratic independent school near Maleny. After Council imposed crippling conditions on the Material Change of Use approval, he prepared the appeal and presented the case in the Planning and Environment Court against Council’s solicitors and barrister. The school won most of what it sought following a judicial site visit. Derek’s family then cared for the 40-acre campus organically.
In the early 2000s, he led a Supreme Court action against the Queensland Minister for Education over the school’s cancelled accreditation on grounds of denied natural justice. The case failed despite fundraising and legal representation.
These experiences underpin Derek’s commitment to protecting landowners from arbitrary regulation.
SALLY EDWARDS - Treasurer
MARIE VITELLI
Marie Vitelli joined Property Rights Australia in 2023 because she shares the same values about property rights, vegetation management, advocating for evidence-based government policy and averting the impacts of market transformation by certain environmental activist groups.
Marie has 35-years’ experience in weeds, landcare, grazing management and agricultural policy. Her passion for weeds began in the mid-1980s at the Tropical Weeds Research Centre in Charters Towers for 15 years. Marie traversed North Queensland on weed research and biocontrol projects such as rubber vine, parthenium, prickly acacia and giant sensitive plant.
A career change in 2000 saw Marie move on to a seven-year stint with Dalrymple Landcare Committee in the Upper Burdekin Rangelands. Working with graziers, landcare groups and rural communities across Dalrymple Shire was exceptionally rewarding and many friendships evolved. Since moving to Brisbane for family reasons in 2007, Marie worked for AgForce until retirement in mid-2023. Her role in AgForce encompassed vegetation management and agricultural policy relating to biosecurity, weeds, agvet chemicals and the Great Barrier Reef. Marie’s qualifications include a Science Degree, two Master’s Degrees and Diploma of Governance.
EMMA BOWMAN - Vice Chair
Emma Bowman is a fifth generation Dunedoo district farmer, in the Central West of NSW with a lifelong love of animals.
She is passionate about protecting Australia’s agricultural industry, rural communities and the environment and has committed substantial time to research, meetings, submission writing and information sharing with regard to the “rapid transition to renewable energy”.
Having seen firsthand EnergyCo’s treatment of landowners affected by the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (CWO REZ) transmission project and given her own experience with the threat of compulsory acquisition, Emma has worked hard to try to improve community consultation and engagement around the rollout of major infrastructure projects. She is extremely concerned about the erosion of private property rights – landowners being forced to “host” and neighbour large scale renewable energy infrastructure without their consent, and irrespective of their genuine concerns, and government continually passing legislation that creates more red tape and stifles innovation and industry.
She strongly believes more emphasis must be placed on local knowledge, experience and concerns to better protect and enable the environment, businesses, families and communities to thrive into the future