 At the time of the merger, "party politics" were still prohibited as per the original resolutions, although the VFU agreed to formulate a political policy in its first conference held during Show Week later in the year.At the conference, which began on 26 September, the executive recommended that the VFU gain a parliamentary presence by admitting existing members of parliament.The proposal was rejected by the delegates, and instead it was agreed that members must join the VFU before being endorsed and nominated to stand for parliament at the next state election.