Free succession planning workshop is limited to 30 places

A free Business Transition and Succession Planning information session will be held in Mitchell on Tuesday, 18th August 2026, with places capped at 30 participants.

Rabobank’s Queensland Rabo Client Council is hosting the session, and primary producers do not need to be Rabobank clients to attend.

Transition Partners director Jim Benson will lead the interactive event and outline different succession scenarios for family enterprises.

During the session, Jim Benson will explain why family and business communication can break down and how families can improve it.

The August 18 programme will also cover how to run meetings well and how to account for different family goals.

Mr Benson will draw on first-hand experience to show how added family dynamics can create problems in succession planning.

However, the Mitchell session will not deal with individual family disputes or provide case-specific advice for attendees.

Sally McGilvray on early planning

Instead, the Mitchell event is designed as an information-sharing session for couples and farming families weighing business transition decisions.

The Mitchell workshop is part of a national series led and funded by Rabobank’s Rabo Client Councils across Australia.

Rabobank describes the councils as groups of farming clients focused on backing projects that strengthen rural communities.

Since the programme launched in 2024, the Rabo Client Councils have delivered 34 sessions around the country.

Rabo Client Council member Sally McGilvray, an Injune-based beef producer, said the sessions let couples and families learn together and join group discussions with other farming families.

Mrs McGilvray said, “Because most of us are cash poor and asset rich, it can make succession extremely difficult.”

She also urged families to begin succession planning early to reduce conflict and manage different expectations.

According to Mrs McGilvray, delaying talks can make family and business problems harder to resolve.

Mrs McGilvray said early, open conversations can reduce risk and support a smoother handover to the next generation.

Rabobank states the councils support activities aimed at improving the vibrancy and resilience of rural Australia, and the succession programme is one of those projects.

Places for the Mitchell session are limited to 30, and registration is available through the Rabobank website.