NFF members lead advocacy reform process

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has reached an important stage of its member-led reform process, with the release of a “once in a generation” discussion paper at today’s Members’ Council.

The paper will guide the next phase of consultations to modernise the Federation’s governance, membership structure, and policy advocacy model.

NFF President David Jochinke said the reforms are essential to ensuring the Federation remains a strong, united and credible voice for Australian farmers.

“This is a reform process driven by NFF members, for NFF members,” Mr Jochinke said.

 “Over the past 18 months, we’ve worked with members to ensure that NFF’s structures and processes can meet the demands of a more complex and competitive policy environment.”

The NFF Reform Roadmap – United Advocacy Stronger Outcomes framework builds on extensive feedback from NFF members, recent external reviews, and the Australian Farm Institute’s (AFI) report The Evolution of Agricultural Advocacy.

The next phase will include structured workshops, working group sessions, and broad consultation to test reform options and identify a shared pathway forward.

“At its core, this process is about strengthening NFF by putting in place transparent processes to provide members with a united voice in national advocacy,” Mr Jochinke said.

The discussion paper canvasses several major reform areas, including voting rights, member categories, fee structures, the role of policy committees, and mechanisms to support agile policy responses in urgent situations.

“With great member backing, NFF is moving forward with the once-in-a-generation reforms to refresh the way we work together and ensure our collective efforts deliver results for farmers and rural communities,” Mr Jochinke said.

Mr Jochinke emphasised that the Board’s role is to facilitate, not direct, the process.

“There is no predetermined outcome, this is about members shaping the future of the NFF.

“I encourage every member organisation to fully engage in the discussions ahead, firmly focussed on what’s required to strengthen our ability to champion the needs of farmers.”

The final reform proposals will be developed through consultations over the coming months, with endorsement sought at the NFF Annual General Meeting in October 2025.