AT AN Extraordinary General Meeting members of the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) rallied at Etihad Stadium to vote on proposed changes to its constitution.
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Stock & Land representative Peter J Austin was in attendance and said during a question and answer session discussing some of the key proposed changes, audience members displayed great suspicion about the reforms and what they would mean to the capacity of the commodities to specifically deal with their specific issues.
He reported there was great suspicion about the centralisation of power and what that might mean in the future to the policy council, which will oversee the results of resolutions put forward from commodity councils.
The other great suspicion voiced during the session was the way in which proxy votes would be handled.
VFF members displayed a fear that members rights would be disenfranchised by people exercising proxies on behalf of indivduals representing single issues.
The outcome was to be decided in a secret ballot and 75 per cent of the total membership vote was required for the changes to go ahead.
The VFF is lobbying to open membership to non-farmer members with industry affiliates eligible for associate membership into the VFF umbrella.
Active branches would be supported and district councils dissolved. It also suggested a two-tier voting system for full paying members only.
Chris Griffin, president of United DairyFarmers Victoria (UDV) lead a very strong representation from the dairy community at yesterday's meeting.
Speaking recently with Stock & Land he said UDV members were unhappy and felt their uncertainties with the new document had gone unanswered.
The organisation’s 10 district councils had written to the VFF asking to postpone the EGM so their concerns could be discussed further, but all requests were declined, he said.
The member’s main unease is that their ability to directly elect their president had been taken away.
The new restructure suggests that members vote for two potential nominees, which will then be elected by the VFF president and two independent members.
“It’s a member-based organisation and the members want the right to elect their president,” Mr Griffin said.
* Results to come
