A3; Stakeholder Engagement

1. Purpose

This policy defines the approach for effective interaction with a diverse range of stakeholders.

2. Background

Effective and efficient stakeholder engagement, including VFF members, government, industry, collaborators, and even competitors to ultimately contribute to improved policy and advocacy, decision-making, risk management, innovation, and organisational sustainability.

3. Policy

3.1 DEFINITIONS

3.1.1. VFF uses the stakeholder engagement framework adapted from the International Association for Public Participation with the following engagement class definitions;

  • Inform: to provide balanced and objective information to assist understanding of an issue, and the alternatives, opportunities or options for solutions;
  • Consult: to obtain feedback on analysis, alternatives or decisions;
  • Involve: to work directly through a process to ensure concerns and aspirations are consistently understood and considered;
  • Collaborate: to partner in each aspect of a decision, including the development of alternatives and the identification of the preferred solution; and Empower: to place the final decision and its implementation to others.

3.1.2. The VFF makes the following engagement promise for each of the engagement classes:

  • Inform: The VFF will keep the stakeholder informed about relevant matters;
  • Consult: The VFF will keep the stakeholder informed and listen to and acknowledge concerns and aspirations, and provide feedback on how input influenced the decision;
  • Involve: The VFF will keep the stakeholder informed, and work directly throughout the engagement process to ensure that concerns and aspirations are directly reflected in the alternatives developed and provide feedback about how input influenced the final decision;
  • Collaborate: The VFF will keep the stakeholder informed and seek advice and innovation in formulating alternative solutions and incorporate stakeholder advice and recommendations into decisions to the maximum possible extent;
  • Empower: The VFF will outsource the engagement process and implement what the stakeholder decides.

3.1.3. The VFF has identified the following key stakeholders and allocated the relevant engagement class;

  • VFF Members: Inform – keep members informed about VFF policy and advocacy activities;
  • Farmers (non-members): Inform – inform farmers to develop capability;
  • VFF Elected Officials: Collaborate – work with relevant councils, committees and branches in accordance with Policy A2: Policy and Advocacy;
  • VFF Board: Collaborate – work with the Board to develop alternatives, while recognising the Board’s formal decision and accountability requirements;
  • Consumers: Inform – inform consumers to engender their support for advocacy priorities and enhance industry social license;
  • Partners and Sponsors: Consult – inform partners and sponsors and obtain feedback to inform alternatives or decisions;
  • Government and Political: Collaborate – work with and influence Ministers, their offices’ and bureaucrats so they adopt the VFF’s policy platform;
  • Industry and Community representative bodies: Involve – work with and influence industry and community representative bodies including commodity peak councils to ensure alignment with VFF’s policy platform and advocacy strategies;
  • Media: Inform –ensure media are appropriately informed of relevant matters;

3.1.4. Each stakeholder is engaged in accordance with the allocated engagement class and promise. Messages to stakeholders will often be different depending on the desired outcome.

3.1.5. Information dissemination or influence via media is conducted in accordance with Policy C5: Media.

3.2 PRINCIPLES

To enhance the achievement of its objectives, the VFF utilises the following engagement principles:

3.2.1. Enhance Communication and Relationships: use clear channels and protocols for communication so the VFF can build stronger relationships with its stakeholders.

3.2.2. Manage Expectations: Ensuring clarification of what stakeholders can expect from the VFF helps manage the varying interests and expectations of the organisation and reduce misunderstandings, potential conflicts and find common ground.

3.2.3. Gain Input and Feedback: Shaping of the VFF’s decisions and strategies is enriched through engagement to capture insights and perspectives.

3.2.4. Fostering Innovation and Mitigating Risks: Engaging with stakeholders allows the organisation to identify opportunities and risks early to assist in achievement of outcomes.

3.2.5. Innovation: Engagement with stakeholder, including collaborators and even competitors, can lead to innovation and shared value creation through productive interaction.

3.2.6. Demonstrate Responsiveness and Build Resilience: Engaging with stakeholders demonstrates the VFF’s commitment to responding to changing stakeholder expectations and market conditions and helps the organisation adapt to evolving circumstances by facilitating ongoing dialogue and adaptation.

3.2.7. Professionalism: Conduct and participation in engagement activities must be done in a professional manner and in accordance with the VFF Code of Conduct.

3.2.8. Outcomes: Meetings are conducted with the purpose of achieving an outcome in accordance with policy and advocacy or projects plans.

3.3 ELECTED OFFICIALS (VFF COUNCILS, COMMITTEES AND BRANCHES)

3.3.1. Elected Officials volunteer their time to participle and need to allow sufficient time to fulfill their responsibilities, including for preparation such as network engagement, thoroughly reading papers, and meeting attendance.

3.3.2. Elected Officials are required to inform and educate themselves about industry and farming systems and issues generally, and specifically any issue under immediate consideration. Meetings are not a forum to be educated about an issue or a substitute for sufficient preparation.

3.3.3. Members are responsible for engaging with their network about issues under consideration and representing their views in meetings.

3.3.4. Members should be ready to provide examples of different industry or individual farmer opportunities or consequences associated with the issue under consideration.

3.3.5. Management will facilitate the identification and prioritisation of issues and setting of the VFF policy outcome in line with Policy A2: Policy and Advocacy.

3.3.6. Management will consult with Councils and Committees as a whole (not individually) to elicit feedback on issues under consideration.

3.3.7. Management will conduct policy and advocacy analysis and design and involve Elected Officials as appropriate.

3.3.8. Management may not be directed or tasked by Elected Officials. 

3.4 BOARD

3.4.1. Directors must engage with management via the Board Chair;

3.4.2. Staff must only engage with Directors with approval of the CEO.

3.5 GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL

3.5.1. Government and political stakeholders include Ministers, Members of Parliament, local government representatives, bureaucracy, political parties, unions, political advisors and lobbyists.

3.5.2. To maximise effectiveness and efficiency, engagement with government and political stakeholders is coordinated by the CEO.

3.5.3. Elected officials are required to report approaches from government and political stakeholders to the CEO.

3.5.4. Elected officials must ensure a VFF staff member attend meetings with government and political stakeholders;

3.5.5. The CEO appoints a primary engagement nominee for key government and political stakeholder relationships.

3.5.6. Policy and advocacy staff will maintain register of key government and political stakeholder relationships and report related meeting outcomes to the Policy Council.

3.5.7. VFF Members and Elected Officials must ensure that where they communicate with government and political stakeholders in a private or an unofficial capacity, they ensure that they do not act in a manner that purports to represent the position of the VFF.

3.6 INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE BODIES

3.6.1. Industry and Community Representative bodies include national, state and locally based non-government organisations. Examples include the National Farmers Federation, the Minerals Council of Australia, Landcare Victoria, agricultural societies and other farmer advocacy bodies.

3.6.2. Only VFF Elected Officials and Authorised Spokespeople may represent and speak on behalf of the VFF to industry representative bodies.

3.6.3. Stakeholders must seek the position of the VFF from the Authorised Spokesperson and VFF External stakeholder may not claim to have been informed of a VFF position without approval by and Authorised Spokesperson and Member may not claim to represent the VFF.

3.6.4. VFF Members nominated or appointed to an external committee must be approved by the relevant VFF Council, Committee, or the CEO.

3.6.5. VFF Members that participate in an external committee must represent the VFF position on issues under consideration, and if unclear seek clarification from the VFF before representing a view.

3.6.6. VFF Members that participate in an external committee must report on the deliberations of the Committee on a regular basis.

3.7 PARTNERS AND SPONSORS

3.7.1. Partner and sponsor objectives need to align with those of the VFF;

3.7.2. VFF will consider conflicts of interest that may be detrimental to the VFF, members or other partners and sponsors in engaging or entering into any third party agreement.

3.7.3. Any communication to members or other partners or sponsors must be approved by the VFF;

3.7.4. Members details are not to be provided to partners or sponsors.

3.7.5. Use of the VFF logo by partners or sponsors must be approved by the VFF CEO.

3.8 MEDIA

3.8.1 All engagement with the media is to be conducted in line with Policy C5: Media.

4. Accountability

VFF Chair

VFF CEO

5. Related policies/procedures

Policy G1: Strategy and Policy Framework

Policy M1: Membership

Policy M2: Member Code of Conduct

Policy C5: Media

Policy A2: Policy and Advocacy