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Exit Survey
 
 
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Please start the survey now by clicking on the ‘Continue’ button below.
 
 
 
Just a few questions about you to start with. These are for analysis purposes only; as noted, your participation is completely confidential; no individual responses are provided to the NFF or any third parties, and results are reported in aggregate form only.
 
 
 
Which of the following are you? Select all that apply

 
Farmer
 
Processor
 
Retailer
 
Agriculture service / associated industry
 
Peak farming body representative
 
Animal welfare or environmental advocate
 
Media representative / journalist
 
Other (Please specify)
 

 
 
 
When it comes to important decisions on your farm business, are you…?

 
The main decision maker
 
A joint decision maker
 
Not a decision maker
 
 
 
In what jurisdiction is your farm located?

 
Australian Capital Territory
 
New South Wales
 
Northern Territory
 
Queensland
 
South Australia
 
Tasmania
 
Victoria
 
Western Australia

 
 
 
Please indicate which of the following your farm business produces


 
Vegetables
 
Fruit
 
Grains e.g. wheat, sorghum, canola
 
Sugar
 
Fibre e.g. cotton, wool
 
Forestry / wood
 
Other horticulture related – e.g. flowers, bees (for propagation), grape vines
 
Aquaculture / seafood
 
Beef cattle
 
Dairy cattle
 
Sheep – for wool
 
Sheep – for meat
 
Pigs
 
Chickens/poultry – for meat
 
Chickens/poultry – for eggs
 
Other

 
 
 
Please indicate the rough breakdown of your total farm income by produce type as a percentage.

0
 
 
 
In what state / territory are you based?



 
Australian Capital Territory
 
New South Wales
 
Northern Territory
 
Queensland
 
South Australia
 
Tasmania
 
Victoria
 
Western Australia

 
 
 
As part of designing future models, it helps to understand your history of membership with farming organisations.
 
 
 
Are you, or have you ever been, a member of any state farmer organisations?

 
Yes, currently a member
 
Yes, previously a member
 
No, have never been a member of any state farmer organisations
 
Don’t know

 
 
 
Please type in all state farmer organisations you are currently a member of:
 
 
 
1.
   
2.
   
3.
   
4.
   
5.
   
6.
   
7.
   
8.
   
9.
   
10.
   
 
 
 
Please type in all state farm organisations you were previously a member of:
 
 
 
1.
   
2.
   
3.
   
4.
   
5.
   
6.
   
7.
   
8.
   
9.
   
10.
   
 
 
 
Are you currently, or have you ever been a member of any commodity councils or representative peak bodies, apart from your state representative organisation?

(For example: organisations like Cotton Australia, Australian Dairy Farmers, Australian Pork Limited)



 
Yes, currently a member
 
Yes, previously a member
 
No, never been a member of any commodity specific farmer advocacy or lobbying organisations
 
Don’t know

 
 
 
Please type in all commodity bodies or representative peak bodies you are currently a member of:
 
 
 
1.
   
2.
   
3.
   
4.
   
5.
   
6.
   
7.
   
8.
   
9.
   
10.
   
 
 
 
Please type in all commodity bodies or representative peak bodies you were previously a member of:
 
 
 
1.
   
2.
   
3.
   
4.
   
5.
   
6.
   
7.
   
8.
   
9.
   
10.
   
 
 
 
Please note: This survey has been designed primarily for people working on the farm, therefore if you are not a farmer, not all of the questions will necessarily apply to you – please use the not applicable option where relevant.
 
 
 
 
 
 
How would you rate your overall feelings about farmer representation and advocacy / lobbying organisations in Australia at the moment?

Extremely
negative
0

1

2

3

4 		Neutral

5

6

7

8

9
Extremely
positive
10 		Really
don't
know
 
 
 
 
What makes you feel that way?

   
 
 
How would you rate your knowledge of farmer representation and advocacy / lobbying organisations in Australia, in terms of what they do and what they offer farmers?



Very
poor
0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9
Excellent
10 		Really
don't
know
 
 
 
 
What would you say are the main issues affecting your farm business at the moment, if any?
   
 
 
 
What would you say are the main issues affecting Australian farm businesses at the moment, if any?
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Issues Affecting Farm Businesses

Below is a summary of various issues some Australian farmers are facing, which were raised in some focus groups and discussions with farmers as part of this project.
 
 
Please rate how much each issue is affecting your farm business, using a scale where 0 means it is not affecting your farm at all, and 10 means it is having a very significant effect on your farm.



No
effect
at all
0



1


2


3


4


5


6


7


8


9 		Very significant
effect
10

Don't
know
Environmental issues (e.g. climate variability, access to water, irrigation, pests and diseases)
Limited competition in the supermarket space (i.e. the power of Coles and Woolworths)
Competition from imported produce
Inadequate food labelling standards
Foreign investment in land ownership
Not enough funding in research and development, and local extension networks
General public not understanding the realities of Australian farming
Too much consolidation of farms and loss of family farms
Too much regulation / red tape (e.g. labour, workplace health & safety, transport, farming activities)
Increased influence of animal welfare activists
No
effect
at all
0



1


2


3


4


5


6


7


8


9 		Very significant
effect
10

Don't
know
The government does not value farming enough (e.g. prioritises other sectors, ineffectual free trade agreements)
Increasing cost of farming inputs (e.g. fuel, labour, machinery, etc)
Need for improved infrastructure (e.g. ports, roads, rail)
Difficulty accessing overseas markets for Australian food and fibre
Not enough young people interested in farming
Too often the agricultural sector agenda is hijacked and ends up representing the lowest common denominator
Produce prices are low and falling
 
 
 
Issues Affecting Farm Businesses

Below is a summary of important issues Australian farmers are facing, which were identified in some focus groups and discussions with farmers as part of this project.
 
 
Please rate how much you think each issue is affecting Australian farm businesses, using a scale where 0 means it is not affecting farms at all, and 10 means it is having a very significant effect on farms.


No
effect
at all
0



1


2


3


4


5


6


7


8


9 		Very significant
effect
10

Don't
know
Not enough funding in research and development, and local extension networks
Increased influence of animal welfare activists
Too often the agricultural sector agenda is hijacked and ends up representing the lowest common denominator
Inadequate food labelling standards
General public not understanding the realities of Australian farming
Too much regulation / red tape (e.g. labour, workplace health & safety, transport, farming activities)
Difficulty accessing overseas markets for Australian food and fibre
Too much consolidation of farms and loss of family farms
Produce prices are low and falling
Not enough young people interested in farming
No
effect
at all
0



1


2


3


4


5


6


7


8


9 		Very significant
effect
10

Don't
know
Foreign investment in land ownership
Competition from imported produce
Limited competition in the supermarket space (i.e. the power of Coles and Woolworths)
Need for improved infrastructure (e.g. ports, roads, rail)
The government does not value farming enough (e.g. prioritises other sectors, ineffectual free trade agreements)
Increasing cost of farming inputs (e.g. fuel, labour, machinery, etc)
Environmental issues (e.g. climate variability, access to water, irrigation, pests and diseases)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Level where Action is Needed

Please indicate below what you think is the best level at which each of these same issues should be addressed:

    • the national level (e.g. via the Federal Government or federal authorities, or through national media); or
    • the state level; or
    • the local level (e.g. through your local council or natural resource management organisations).


National State Local Doesn't need
to be
addressed 		Really
don't
know
Not enough funding in research and development, and local extension networks
Too much consolidation of farms and loss of family farms
General public not understanding the realities of Australian farming
Not enough young people interested in farming
Increasing cost of farming inputs (e.g. fuel, labour, machinery, etc)
Foreign investment in land ownership
Need for improved infrastructure (e.g. ports, roads, rail)
Too often the agricultural sector agenda is hijacked and ends up representing the lowest common denominator
Too much regulation / red tape (e.g. labour, OH&S, transport, farming activities)
Competition from imported produce
National State Local Doesn't need
to be
addressed 		Really
don't
know
Produce prices are low and falling
The government does not value farming enough (e.g. prioritises other sectors, ineffectual free trade agreements)
Difficulty accessing overseas markets for Australian food and fibre
Increased influence of animal welfare activists
Inadequate food labelling standards
Limited competition in the supermarket space (i.e. the power of Coles and Woolworths)
Environmental issues (e.g. climate variability, access to water, irrigation, pests and diseases)
 
 
How do you rate the effectiveness of the following types of Australian farmer organisations in tackling the issues you think they should be working on?


Not at all
effective
0


1


2


3


4


5


6


7


8


9 		Extremely
effective

10 		Don't know
National Farmers’ Federation
Your State Farmer Organisation
Commodity councils / organisations
Local organisations (e.g. production groups, Landcare groups)
 
 
Farmer Services

Please indicate whether you currently receive or are using any of the following, either from a farm sector organisation or a non-farm sector organisation.



Yes, using / receiving
through a farm
sector organisation 		Yes, using / receiving
through a non-farm
sector organisation 		No, not currently
using / receiving
Discounts on inputs – e.g. energy, fuel, chemicals, fertilisers
Discounts on vehicles and farm machinery
Networking events
Technical trials
Discounts on financial advice
Professional development – e.g. training / courses / accreditation
A national catalogue of services and discounts accessible only to members
Free workplace relations advice
Discounts on legal services
Discounted agronomy services
 
 
Please rate how likely you would be to use / access each of the following if a relevant farmer organisation were to offer it to you.

Even if you currently use / receive some of these, you may still be likely to use them from a relevant farmer organisation.



Not at all
likely to use		Definitely
would use
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Discounts on legal services
Discounts on financial advice
Discounted agronomy services
Networking events
Discounts on vehicles and farm machinery
Technical trials
Free workplace relations advice
Professional development – e.g. training / courses / accreditation
A national catalogue of services and discounts accessible only to members
Discounts on inputs – e.g. energy, fuel, chemicals, fertilisers
 
 
 
 
 
 
Who Should Offer What?

Please indicate below whether you think each of these things should be done or offered to farmers by:
    • A national farmers’ organisation
    • The state farmers’ organisations
    • Commodity or produce sector organisations
    • Research and development corporations
    • Local organisations (e.g. production groups, Landcare groups)


You may feel that some of these things should be offered by more than one of the types of organisations.
Please select all that apply.



National
organisation 		State
organisations 		Commodity
organisations 		R&D
corporations 		Local
organisations 		Not needed/
necessary
Lobbying the federal government
Public education campaigns
Fundraising activities
Professional development – e.g. training / courses / accreditation
Discounts on vehicles and farm machinery
Lobbying the state governments
Discounts on financial advice
Conducting surveys with farmers to understand their views and concerns
Networking events
Discounts on inputs – e.g. energy, fuel, chemicals, fertilisers
National
organisation 		State
organisations 		Commodity
organisations 		R&D
corporations 		Local
organisations 		Not needed/
necessary
Free workplace relations advice
Lobbying local governments
Discounts on legal services
Discounted agronomy services
Technical trials
Providing information to farmers about their activities, progress, outcomes, services etc
A national catalogue of services and discounts accessible only to members
 
 
What Should Each Level Do?

To summarise how you think each of the following types of farm organisations should spread their activities, please allocate 100 points for each type of organisation (down each column, not across the rows), across these broad activity types:
    • Research and development (technical, policy etc)
    • Advocacy / lobbying / education – split by government and public
    • Direct services and member benefits to farmers


You may give some activities zero points, or as much as 100 points if you think that is all that type of organisation should be doing.

To clarify, what you need to do is distribute 100 points within each level – i.e. 100 points for the National level (100 points under the National farmers' organisation column), 100 points under the State farmers' organisations column, and 100 points under the Commodity councils / peak bodies column, to indicate how you think farmer advocacy organisations at each of those levels should distribute their focus and resources on each of the broad activity categories.

Note: Don’t worry if you don’t know how they spread their activities now – this is about what you think they should be doing.


National farmers'
organisation 		State farmers'
organisations 		Commodity councils/
peak bodies
Research and development (technical, policy etc)
Providing access to direct services and member benefits for farmers
Government advocacy / lobbying / education
Public advocacy / lobbying / education
 
 
How interested are you in knowing more about farmer representation and advocacy / lobbying organisations in Australia, in terms of what they do and what they offer farmers?

Not at all
interested		Extremely
interested
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
 
 
 
 
Some activist groups in various sectors have invested in developing national databases of members which enable them to unify, respond quickly to issues, and directly communicate with their members.

If such a database were to be developed for Australian farmers would you want to be included on the database?

NB. This database could include both farmers and non-farmers.


 
Yes
 
No
 
Maybe (if so, what might make you say ‘yes’?)
 
 
How appealing to you are each of the following ways for farmer organisations to communicate and engage with you?

This could be to provide you with news and information e.g. about their plans and activities, progress on campaigns, how you can get involved, case studies, technical information, services and member benefits, alerts or calls to action, meeting/event reminders etc.

Note: different channels could be used for different types of communication.

Not at all
appealing		Extremely
appealing
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Don't
know

Field days / roadshows
In the mail, via post
Radio
Agricultural / sector magazines
Agricultural conferences
Rural newspapers
Networking / social events
Via a courtesy telephone call
Via social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter)
Emails
National newspapers
Television programs
Via the organisations’ websites
SMS / text messages
Regional meetings – issue or commodity specific
 
 
 
If a campaign is happening on an issue that is important to you, how would you generally prefer to be involved, if at all?



 
Just keep me informed about what’s happening with the campaign
 
Please consult me – ask for my views, feedback and preferences about how the campaign is done
 
Please involve me in the decision making process about the campaign
 
Ask me what I can do to help
 
None of these

 
 
 
If the farmer advocacy / lobbying organisations wanted to consult you for your views on particular issues, how would you most prefer to be consulted and share your thoughts?

Please select all methods that you would be happy to use.



 
A reply-paid confidential survey in the mail
 
A confidential online survey
 
Via a dedicated working group
 
Give me a phone call
 
A confidential telephone survey
 
Text message asking for a brief response
 
A members vote
 
Comment on social media
 
At a members only forum where I can share my thoughts either anonymously or openly with the group
 
Ask for my ideas at a meeting
 
A confidential research-style focus group discussion with a small group of people
 
Email invitation for comment
 
None – I do not wish to be consulted on any issues
 
Some other way (please specify)
 

 
 
How willing are you to contribute financially in the following ways, towards ensuring Australian farmer organisations can better tackle the issues that are important to you?




Not at all willing
0


1


2


3


4


5


6


7


8


9
Totally
willing
10
Don't
know



N/A
Voluntary membership fees
Purchasing farm services through the organisations at discounted rates
Mandatory produce levies
Small donations towards campaigning on specific issues e.g. $5-$20
 
 
How much do you support or oppose the idea of a proportion of the money farmers pay to their state farmer organisations, commodity peak bodies or research and development corporations specifically going towards national advocacy and lobbying activities?




Totally
oppose
0

1

2

3

4 		Neither support
nor oppose
5

6

7

8

9 		Totally
support
10 		Really
don't
know
 
 
 
 
In percentage terms, how much of the money farmers pay in levies or membership fees to their commodity peak bodies, research and development corporations or state farmer organisations do you think should have to go towards national advocacy and lobbying activities?

   %
 
 
Do you agree or disagree with the following things some people have said?



Disagree
strongly 		Disagree somewhat Neither agree nor disagree Agree somewhat Agree strongly Really don't know
Money is wasted in farmer representation because of duplication of functions and structures
The current system of farmer representation is working fine and should be kept as it is
The farm sector doesn’t have a strong voice because there are too many farmer representative organisations
One organisation should be responsible for promoting the value of Australian farming to the Australian community, media and government
 
 
Key Characteristics of Farmer Representation Models

You may be aware that a large number of farmer organisations, including the National Farmers’ Federation, are considering ways to structure the farmer representation system in Australia to ensure that it is:
    a. more relevant to farmers
    b. politically influential
    c. value for money; and
    d. financially sustainable for the farm sector over the longer term.
 
 
The following list of statements reflects key characteristics of any potential new sector representation model. Your responses to these statements are critical to how the model will be developed. Please indicate how supportive or opposed you are to each idea, in-principle.



Strongly
supportive
Quite
supportive
Fairly
supportive
Neither
support
nor
oppose
Fairly
opposed
Quite
opposed
Strongly
opposed
Don't know
The core membership of any representation model should be farmers (individual or corporate)
All state farming organisations and commodity councils should be merged into one new national organisation. This way, efficiencies could be brought back into the system by merging the state and national bodies – e.g. one Board, one CEO, one administration function and a shared communications platform
There should be no national body, with farmers represented either through their state farmer organisation or commodity peak body
There should be no national or state farmer organisations, just commodity peak bodies representing farmers
 
 
The following list of statements reflects key characteristics of any potential new sector representation model. Your responses to these statements are critical to how the model will be developed. Please indicate how supportive or opposed you are to each idea, in-principle.



Strongly
supportive
Quite
supportive
Fairly
supportive
Neither
support
nor
oppose
Fairly
opposed
Quite
opposed
Strongly
opposed
Don't know
There should be a federal structure – with national service providers located in a national head office
Members should only pay one organisation, not a state and/or commodity council, so the funds can be pooled nationally and allocated against the agreed strategy
If national funds are pooled, existing state assets should be placed into state trusts, to be used at the discretion of the states
The strategy should be guided by commodity needs, rather than on a geographical basis. This should enable a unified voice, consistency of direction, and efficient use of resources
Only farm operations with an income of more than $250,000 a year (gross, before tax) should be allowed to join the peak farmer representative organisation/s
 
 
The following list of statements reflects key characteristics of any potential new sector representation model. Your responses to these statements are critical to how the model will be developed. Please indicate how supportive or opposed you are to each idea, in-principle.



Strongly
opposed
Quite
opposed
Fairly
opposed
Neither
support
nor
oppose
Fairly
supportive
Quite
supportive
Strongly
supportive
Don't know
In a national organisation, there would be state offices rather than having separate state organisations
Commercial services and member benefits should be negotiated at a national level, and be accessible to farmers on a local basis
There should be national commodity coordinators, who would also provide guidance and leadership for state level issues
A dedicated team should be established that runs national public campaigns promoting the Australian farm agenda (like GetUp! for farm issues)
 
 
 
What final comments or suggestions do you have to ensure that the farmer representation system is as effective and relevant as possible, and that the voice of Australian farmers is heard in all the right places, if any?

   
 
 
 
Just a few quick closing questions about you, for analysis purposes only.
 
 
 
Are you...?



 
Male
 
Female
 
Prefer not to say
 
 
 
Which of these brackets best describes your total annual farm income, before tax? Please exclude off-farm or non-farm income.

This is for analysis purposes only and to show the mix of farm sizes surveyed. Your responses will remain completely anonymous.



 
Less than $100,000 per year
 
$100,00 - $199,999 per year
 
$200,00 - $499,999 per year
 
$500,000 - $999,999 per year
 
$1,000,000 - $199,999 per year
 
$2,000,000 or more per year
 
 
 
What is your age?
   years
 
 
 
For how long have you been farming?



 
Less than 5 years
 
5 – 9 years
 
10 – 14 years
 
15 – 19 years
 
20 – 24 years
 
25 – 29 years
 
30+ years
 
 
 
Are you a...?


 
First generation farmer
 
Second generation farmer
 
Third generation farmer
 
Fourth generation farmer
 
Fifth generation farmer
 
Sixth generation or more
 
 
 
What is your postcode?

   
 
 
 
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