For Matt Norton, authenticity is everything. It anchors his relationships, guides his actions, and fuels his motivation. It’s what drove him from a suburban Sydney upbringing to becoming a key advocate between governments, communities, and agriculture in the Darling Downs region.
His journey into agriculture didn’t follow a traditional path. He didn’t grow up on a farm, instead his introduction to the industry took an unexpected shape in the form of his high school cattle show team. But it wasn’t the cattle that captivated him; it was the people.
“I think the big part of it was getting out and seeing rural Australia and meeting people that I felt were probably more aligned with my values and the way I wanted to approach life,” Matt shares.
Unlike the transactional nature of city life, Matt found that in rural Australia, people saw you for who you truly were.
“They can see you coming a mile off if you’re not genuine and you’re not really open about who you are.”
That first glimpse of a different way of life ignited a passion that would lead him away from Sydney, not only into agriculture but also into advocacy and leadership.
From consultant to advocate
By 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Matt and his business partner made a bold decision to leave their corporate jobs to start their own agribusiness consulting firm.
“We were looking at a recession, a global crisis, and we thought, ‘Let’s start a business,’” Matt recalls with a laugh.
Five years later, he is the Director of AgDSA, helping feedlot, pork, and poultry producers across southeastern Australia navigate town planning and environmental compliance. But while his work is deeply embedded in policy and regulations, Matt still sees his role as being about the people, not the paperwork.
Many of his clients are small family-run businesses facing once-in-a-generation regulatory hurdles. The kind that can determine whether a farm thrives or folds.
“They see the bureaucracy and the brick wall in front of them… they know they need this outcome, but they’ve got no idea where to start,” Matt explains.
His ability to translate policy into real-world solutions has directly improved the livelihoods of many rural families. But his impact goes beyond individual businesses. In recent years, Matt has become a strong advocate for broader community issues, driving policy engagement and practical change at all levels of government.
However, after five years in the business, he began to question his approach to leadership.
“A lot of consulting early on was fake it till you make it. Say yes to anything that came your way and scramble like mad to figure out how to make it work. There was a lot of this culture of ‘You’ve got to seem like an expert on everything,’” he admits.
That mindset was exhausting and unsustainable. It was time for a shift
Learning to listen
Matt’s first interaction with the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF) was through the National Mentoring Program. Over 12 months of learning modules and monthly one-on-one mentoring with South Coast Beef’s Executive Officer, Rob Stafford, Matt learned a critical lesson: leadership isn’t about knowing everything, it’s about listening.
“I always struggle with communicating with people because I always want to jump in. I know where they’re going with their sentence, but I want to jump in and get them there faster. And I’ve found if I do that, they stop speaking or they get frustrated.”
The mentoring program helped him recognise this blind spot, but Matt wanted more. That’s when an opportunity arose – a Weis Community Fund scholarship for the Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP), specifically targeting agribusiness leaders in the Darling Downs. After weeks of hesitation, his wife gave him a final push.
“She said, ‘You can’t stare a gift horse in the mouth like this. There’s a reason this has come up. You need to apply.’”
He did… and he got in..
Beyond the comfort zone
The Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP) stands apart from many other leadership courses. It doesn’t take place in air-conditioned conference rooms or through structured webinars but is experiential, immersive, and physically demanding.
The Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP) stands apart from many other leadership courses. It doesn’t take place in air-conditioned conference rooms or through structured webinars but is experiential, immersive, and physically demanding.
The program catapults participants into real-life scenarios that closely mirror the leadership challenges they face daily in their professional environments. These high-pressure simulations are designed to help participants master conflict resolution, challenge unconscious biases, and refine skills in active listening and decision-making.
For Matt, the difference between his structured mentoring experience and the immersive ARLP was stark. From the moment he landed in Sydney for his first ARLP session, the pace was relentless. A whirlwind of introductions quickly gave way to two weeks of immersive leadership challenges set against the rugged backdrops of the New South Wales coastline and Kangaroo Valley.
“I’ve always led from the front, made the decisions and dragged people along with me. But in ARLP, I had to step back and push others forward into their strong suits. I had to let go of control and trust the team,” he admits.
The experience forced him to rethink leadership entirely, breaking down old habits and reshaping his approach in ways he hadn’t anticipated.
“I think my greatest learning that I took from that first session was certainly around different ways of leadership. There are some highly qualified and experienced people in the group, many much more capable than I was, so I had to look to utilising people’s skills more and pushing people ahead of me to their strong suits.”
Sharing in the future
Beyond personal growth, ARLP challenges participants to identify a critical issue in their community or industry and drive real solutions. For Matt, the answer was clear: water security.
“We’re going to run into a brick wall at some point where there is no other water for the growth of agriculture in my region. So how do we find ways of bringing water to the region from other areas?”
His ARLP project now focuses on structural initiatives to drought-proof the Darling Downs, drawing inspiration from successful pipeline models in South Australia and Southern New South Wales. But the biggest lesson from ARLP? Learning to slow down, recognise the strengths of those around him, and bring the right people into the conversation to help turn his vision into reality.
“You can have a brilliant idea, but if you don’t take the step of finding how it works in a bureaucratic policy level or engaging the right people, it doesn’t go much further than your own thought bubble.”
Matt has begun leveraging his networks, meeting with politicians, industry leaders, and policymakers to start the conversation.
“I’m going to start talking to people about it, whether or not they believe I have the authority, the expertise to have this idea. I’m starting meetings with people, starting to explain it and learning how to explain it better to different groups of people and how it could benefit them.”
He is also exploring ways to mobilise the ‘movable middle’ – community members who have strong opinions but lack the platform or confidence to act on them.
“I want people to know that everyone’s opinions and perspectives are valuable. If you stop listening and stop understanding people’s perspective, you’ll miss the nugget of gold that comes amongst the noise or complaints. All too often people stop listening because someone said something they disagree with. Sometimes, the most important perspective comes after they’ve said whatever it is you disagree with.”
Matt is embedding these leadership lessons beyond his professional work, taking them into community groups, local P&Cs, and his Lions Club.
“Community groups are full of people who want to do great things for their community, but really only want to do great things their way. I’ve got to catch myself from being that person as well.
Bringing it back to community
From the moment Matt Norton first donned a checkered shirt and took the reins in his high school cattle show team, something clicked. But it wasn’t the competition or the ribbons that stayed with him, it was the sense of belonging and purpose.
That connection has only deepened, and now, through ARLP, he is paying it forward, helping shape the next wave of leaders in his community.
“I know there are lots of good people out there who would benefit from this training and sponsorship,” he says. “I’m really keen to see that relationship keep going and build ARLF’s presence in this region.”
“Leadership can be a bit rough around the edges, but everyone has that bit of leadership in them… you’ve just got to find the right moment to let it out.
