Danyel Cucinotta and Brett Hosking are seeking to become the next president of the Victorian Farmers Federation.
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00:00So we're going to start this debate by first asking both of you to introduce yourselves
00:12and tell me why you're running for President.
00:14I have been so fortunate for the last four years to hold the position of the Vice President.
00:19For me, it feels like a natural step to give back to the organisation to run for President.
00:26For me, this is about moving forward, it's just a way for us to ensure that we continue
00:31to the work that's being done.
00:33The hard yards are over.
00:35I think for us, it's all about growth now.
00:37It's the way that we press on and do really strong advocacy.
00:41It's the way we engage in our communication, and it's how we foster that collaboration,
00:46and of course, better communication.
00:49So that means not just the communication in-house between BFF, its members, its members and
00:54BFF, it's also the way that we do communications in the Metro audience, it's how we do communications
01:00for the non-farming sector, and of course, our non-members.
01:03We're mixed farming, we're in the middle of our grain harvests at the moment, but we also
01:06run merino ewes and beef cattle as well.
01:09For me, my journey with BFF began many, many years ago at a local level, at a local branch
01:16level, and the big campaign at the time was keeping the Kerrang sale yards open.
01:21As we're, believe it or not, in Kerrang, a small country town, we were seeing urban
01:25encroachment on our sale yards.
01:27So it was through that experience that I saw the value of BFF, saw what it could do for
01:32me as a member, for our community as well, and for our farmers more broadly.
01:36So I got more and more involved, became Grains Councillor, Grains President for four years,
01:43Vice President for a little over two years, and then I went on and chaired a national
01:47grains advocacy group in grain growers.
01:50I've held a number of roles throughout the ag industry.
01:53For me, it's about bringing BFF back to, I guess, that point of engagement with growers,
02:00about being there, being modern, being effective, being collaborative, and providing sensible
02:05leadership as well.
02:07I see that creating unity back in the organisation is really important.
02:11You know, the more I've travelled around and met with growers, met with farmers, hearing
02:15their stories, and there's a lot of hurt out there.
02:18It has been, as Danielle alluded to, there's been a lot of change over the last four years
02:22and change isn't easy for any of us.
02:25But now's the time to reunify, to connect farmers to the BFF and to make sure we're out
02:31there kicking goals on behalf of farmers.
02:33You've both touched on your experience.
02:36You've both been BFF Vice President, you're the incumbent, Danielle, and Brett, I think
02:40you were 2016 to 2018.
02:42Could I ask you, and I'll start with yourself, Brett, I'll get you to keep talking, if that's
02:46OK, what is your one biggest single achievement in that role?
02:51In the Vice President role, it was about increasing the awareness of farm safety at the
02:56time. It had been a tragic accident of a grain farmer who'd, whilst sowing, had become
03:04entangled in his machine and it was devastating and tragic for the farming community,
03:10for the local community and also for the family, of course.
03:15And, you know, at the time we realised not enough was being done around farm safety.
03:20So that was the message and that was the campaign.
03:22And we kicked that off over a number of years where, you know, at every opportunity we
03:28talked about safety.
03:30It still continues on today, actually, when the initiatives visited the Horsham branch
03:35and they set aside five minutes at the end of the meeting just to talk about a farm
03:40safety tip and just have an open discussion about it.
03:42So it's good to see those things continuing today.
03:45That's really hard because there's just so much that you do get to achieve in the role
03:50that you play at VFF.
03:52I think for me at the moment, there's probably two major factors where I'd say at least
03:56there's a lasting legacy that I'm very proud to move from.
04:00Number one is chairing the Making Our Farms Safer team and leaving behind the three
04:04practical guidebooks of, number one, child safety, number two, making our older farmers
04:10safer environment, and of course, the new mental health guidebook that's coming out quite
04:16literally in the next two weeks.
04:17So I have been able to chair and produce those books over the last about three years now,
04:23which has been incredible.
04:24But the other part for me has been the incredible ability to foster an environment that
04:29hasn't necessarily been touched on in the last sort of 10 or 15 years, and especially
04:34around the childcare accessibility in our regions and for VFF to actually, you know,
04:39create a childcare policy, to actually do advocacy in that and actually start to say,
04:44hey, our makeup of who farmers are and what's important to them spans further and wider
04:50than it traditionally does.
04:52So childcare access in the regions has been something I've been super proud of.
04:56I suppose you both touched on their engagement as well, and I'd ask you, how would you as
05:00president lead the organisation into better communicating with its members, with non members
05:07who are farming, and then with the general non farming public as well?
05:10That's a good mix of using local media as yourselves at Stockland Land.
05:15It's a good mix of getting out on the ground and doing grassroots kind of engagements,
05:20whether that's through the branches, whether it's regional events, it's acknowledging that
05:24everyone receives communication in different ways, in different language, and everybody
05:29wants to be communicated with, but just a little bit differently.
05:33And I think the part that probably sets myself and traditional VFF apart is really starting
05:39to target into how we use digital communications more efficiently and effectively, because
05:44absolutely it's so important that we use the traditional forms of media or communications
05:50and press releases.
05:52But that's not the only way forward.
05:53And it's certainly not going to be as agile into 2025.
05:57Yeah, look, I think engagement, it begins with our members, you know, knowing them,
06:01understanding, hearing their stories, you know, meeting with them in their communities,
06:05in their environments, whether it be the freezing cold hall at Menangatang in the middle of
06:10winter, or whether it be, you know, down at the, actually leaving home in shorts and t-shirts
06:16and arriving at Cobden in jeans and a jumper, you know, it's about getting out and meeting
06:21the farmers, hearing their stories, hearing what's going on in their lives, their
06:26businesses, their communities, their families, and hearing how VFF can help.
06:30And I think the same applies to our urban audiences.
06:33They want to hear the real stories of real farmers, you know, so we can't tell those
06:38stories if we don't understand them.
06:39So the first key is getting out, meeting the members, getting to know them, hearing about
06:43what they want from VFF, hearing about what they're not happy with, what they are happy
06:46with about VFF, and about how we can deliver better for those farmers in terms of advocacy.
06:51You might have different approaches to this, or maybe you're on the same page, and we
06:54see our farming peers in Europe at the moment, and in my own native Ireland as well, lots
07:00of farmer protests, quite aggressive protests, particularly with the Dutch and the
07:05French at times, and you could argue that Australian farmers maybe don't protest as
07:11often. Do you think there needs to be more farmer protests, or are we better engaging
07:16the politicians and getting work done at the table and in the room with the likes of our
07:21culture minister and the state and federal ministers, or are we better outside the room
07:27making a bit of noise about it?
07:28I think you need a little bit of everything.
07:30That's what the power of advocacy is.
07:32But what you're asking me is, do I think the VFF should be the one, I guess, at the
07:36forefront of doing all of those duties?
07:38What you actually need is the members making noise on the ground, or the farmers or the
07:42communities, however you wish to look at it.
07:45But what you actually want VFF to do and what people expect VFF to do is to be
07:50professional, it's to be refined, it's to be sitting at the table.
07:53That's the purpose of a united organisation that is refined and professional.
07:59We need every tool at our disposal.
08:02I remember somebody saying to me years ago, you've got to know when to ride a horse
08:05and when to ride a donkey, and that sounds like a really stupid analogy, but I'm going to
08:09explain it. So back in the day, many, many years ago, a king would go and visit a
08:13neighbouring king. And if he was coming in peace, say a trade mission, he'd ride a
08:18donkey. So that way the armies wouldn't start attacking him as he's coming up the
08:21driveway. If he was coming for war, he'd ride a horse because a horse is what you want
08:25to be on when you're going to war.
08:28I think the real skill in leadership is knowing which to ride on which day.
08:31You could argue that VFF has been through a bit of a turbulent time of late.
08:35How would you both as VFF president, I suppose, bring everyone back to the table and
08:41smooth things over going forward and ensure that those concerns are eased and that the
08:46organisation, all wings of it, are working together throughout your presidency?
08:50And Brett, I'll stick with yourself first.
08:52You're right. VFF has had a, you know, I think we both alluded to it at the start.
08:56It's been a rugged four years, without a doubt.
08:59So now is the time to recreate that unity, to bring the organisation back together, to
09:04bring the members around the table, to allow them to have their voice heard.
09:08You know, and if sometimes they're a bit angry with that voice, that's OK.
09:11They're entitled to that. You know, we've got to be prepared to listen and learn from
09:15them.
09:15The top priorities moving forward are obviously fostering a sense of collaboration and an
09:20inclusive environment.
09:21And ultimately, it all leads to good culture.
09:25So it's all about moving in the direction that is respect, it's professionalism and it's
09:30engagement with the elected.
09:33So whether they're elected from their branches, whether they're elected from their
09:37commodities and so on, I plan to bring everyone in the tent.
09:41I think in the last four years, despite all the trouble, you know, the perceived trouble,
09:47if you will, I've always communicated that I've never not.
09:51I've always engaged with people like I think the words were that I was some silly
09:58unintended consequence.
09:59Like I'm still yet to understand what it was that the issue specifically was with me
10:04around the AGM.
10:06But like trouble waters in the past, we're not looking behind us.
10:11And I think that's really important for not only myself, but it's for whoever comes next,
10:16whether they're in their elected positions, in any role at the VFF.
10:21The idea is to move past it.
10:23It's to bring yourselves together.
10:24And it's to remember the end goal.
10:27We all want the same thing.
10:28I don't think Mr Hosking or myself are telling you anything that you don't already
10:33know. Look, a question for anyone running for any position, how would you rate the
10:38performance of Emma Germano, the current VFF president of the last four years?
10:44And what would you do the same or differently?
10:46Emma Germano, Emma Germano, you know, I tend not to worry too much about other people.
10:51Would I do it differently?
10:53Absolutely. And Emma would probably agree that absolutely she'd do it differently to
10:57Brett as well. We're different people and we have different styles and different
11:01approaches. You know, I think what we have seen over the last four years has been
11:10well, has been this bit of disunity, whether that's the right word even.
11:15I think it's more unsettledness in the membership, you know, and bringing that back, I
11:21think, is really important.
11:22Just making sure members feel like VFF is theirs, feel like they have some ownership of
11:26them. I've worked alongside Emma Germano for four years, and I can say to you that
11:31whilst I don't agree with everything and I would absolutely do a number of things
11:35different, I thank her for her time.
11:37She was democratically voted in, just like every other elected position in the history
11:43of VFF. This weird obsession over whether or not Emma Germano did something in the last
11:48four years does have to stop now.
11:50I think we're absolutely we're reaching the end of that.
11:53We thank her for her time, but my leadership will be Danielle Cushnutter and I think we
11:59probably need to actually thank her and move on.
12:02The recent VFF decision to step back from the National Farmers Federation, with the
12:08criticism being that the organisation was dealing or developing policy by press release,
12:14a very firm stance taken by Ms Germano, the current president.
12:18Would you look to change that position to go back to working with the NFS or would you
12:24like to see more come from them for that for that bridge or for that wound to be healed?
12:28It's about, for me, how we feed in, how we get accountability.
12:33And it's also about not at the expense of Victorian advocacy.
12:37So I absolutely look forward to working with the advocacy nationally and also better with
12:43our SFOs across the states.
12:45But do I think I will be handing out, you know, half a million to seven hundred and
12:51fifty thousand dollars worth of cash to all the national advocacy bodies?
12:54Absolutely not. I can tell you that from the get go.
12:57We need to find a way forward.
12:58We need to have a presence in Canberra.
13:00It's vital. So many of our decisions are made in Canberra.
13:04We've got a federal election coming up early next year.
13:07You know, that's already in train, the planning for that.
13:10We need to have a voice in Canberra.
13:11How would you better engage young farmers with the VFF?
13:16You know, is there more work that needs to be done there?
13:19And, you know, what would you do as president to pull more people in?
13:22The statistics don't always show up, but we already do have a number of young farmers as
13:27members of the VFF.
13:29The challenge is our memberships are business memberships.
13:32So the young farmers often fit under that business membership.
13:37I think in most cases with young farmers, it's about engagement.
13:40And sometimes they want to engage a little differently.
13:43Sometimes they're looking for a little bit more of a social event, a little less, a
13:47little bit less of a formal event.
13:49You know, so it's about creating those spaces where they can meet, where they can talk
13:53about the challenges that they face.
13:55The only thing I would say, Mr Hosking, I do find it somewhat offensive that you do
13:59think that young people only want to engage when it's an event.
14:02Right. There's actually a lot of young people who want to engage and they want to
14:06engage around policy and advocacy and certainly not an e-harmony event.
14:11We actually are very intelligent.
14:13We want to have input into policy and advocacy.
14:15The problem is, is we haven't fostered an environment that is inclusive, that it is
14:20diverse and that it allows for this because we are so
14:25structured in a way at the VFF that if you haven't done your time and you haven't done
14:30the succession and you haven't sat on this particular council and you didn't come out of
14:34the branch, that you don't deserve a spot.
14:38And it's like, that's got to go.
14:39Plenty of points made there.
14:41I'm sure you'd both agree that a woman, man, young, old, it takes a lot for anyone to put
14:47their head above the pulpit and put their ideas forward and put themselves up for a
14:51leadership position. So I commend you both and thank you both for taking part in this
14:55discussion. First off, for our readers and viewers, I'll give you both
15:01an opportunity to wrap up and maybe a one minute or 60 second pitch to voters.
15:06I'm here, I'm standing in front of our members for them to decide what sort of future they
15:10want for VFF. What I'm offering is modern, effective, collaborative and sensible
15:15leadership. And it's about it's about reuniting the organisation.
15:19We have had a number of years of challenges in the organisation.
15:23It's about making sure farmers are valued, making sure that they feel like the VFF is
15:27their VFF. It's there to achieve outcomes on their behalf.
15:30As it's always been in the past.
15:32For me, this is all about keeping moving forward.
15:35This is all about making sure the next generation of farmers are represented, that we
15:40have our voices heard.
15:41This is about moving into 2025 advocacy.
15:45This is all about digital.
15:47It's all about changing the reach.
15:49It's about changing the language.
15:50And I know that I can give so much back to an organisation that has given not only
15:56myself, but my father, my sister, our family farm, so much in return.
16:01So I really want to use my skill set to, I guess, further and grow the VFF.
16:07And I thank everyone for the opportunity for allowing me to do the last four years as
16:11vice president. And I hope to keep moving forward.