Weeds in Australia

Grants and Government

Policies and programmes

Australia-wide policies and programmes

The overarching policy for weed management in Australia is the Australian Weeds Strategy , which outlines goals and actions required to keep Australia's economic, environmental and social assets secure from the impacts of weeds.

The Australian Weeds Strategy has the following three goals, each with subsidiary individual objectives, strategies (or key actions) and outcomes:

The Australian Weeds Strategy is based on the following key principles:

  1. Weed management is an essential and integral part of the sustainable management of natural resources for the benefit of the economy, the environment, human health and amenity.
  2. Combating weed problems is a shared responsibility that requires all parties to have a clear understanding of their roles.
  3. Good science underpins the effective development, monitoring and review of weed management strategies.
  4. Prioritisation of and investment in weed management must be informed by a risk management approach.
  5. Prevention and early intervention are the most cost effective techniques for managing weeds.
  6. Weed management requires coordination among all levels of government in partnership with industry, land and water managers and the community, regardless of tenure.
  7. Building capacity across government, industry, land and water managers and the community is fundamental to effective weed management.

The Australian Weeds Committee oversees the implementation of the Australian Weeds Strategy on behalf of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, with members representing the Australian Government and all states and territories. The Australian Weeds Committee has established policies and programmes to address the objectives of the Australian Weeds Strategy, and its predecessor the National Weeds Strategy. A significant programme is the Weeds of National Significance (WONS) programme. The programme identifies twenty of Australia's worst weeds within an agricultural, forestry and environmental context. For each WONS there is a national strategy for the control of that weed, and a WONS management coordinator to coordinate the implementation of the strategy.

Weed management activities are also undertaken at the local, regional and national level through the Natural Heritage Trust  and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality  (NAP). The Trust and NAP are initiatives of the Australian Government.

Australian Government policies

The Australian Government is committed to developing and participating in policies that support the Australian Weeds Strategy  in accordance with its role to provide policy leadership and direction.

The Australian Government Departments with primary responsibility for weed management are the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

AusBIOSEC

The Australian Government is also committed to progressing effective weed management through collaborative work with the states and territories to develop a comprehensive Australian Biosecurity System for Primary Production and the Environment (AusBIOSEC ).

Biosecurity is the protection of the economy, environment and human health from the negative impacts of pests, diseases and weeds. AusBIOSEC is a framework of common principles and guidelines to enable biosecurity arrangements to be applied consistently across Australia. The aim is to bring together all biosecurity activities being undertaken by the Australian Government, state and territory governments, industry, landholders and other key stakeholders in primary production and the environment.

Australian Government national and international policies

Weeds management is also addressed in a number of international agreements, or national strategies and programmes such as:

More information on Australian Government international and domestic policies can be found at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts websites:

Australian Government programmes

The Australian Government has a number of programmes in place to help tackle weed problems of national significance.

Plant import programmes

Under the Australian Constitution the Australian Government is responsible for the import and export of plant material to prevent the entry of new potential weeds into Australia.

Defeating the Weed Menace programme

The $44.4 million Defeating the Weed Menace programme is the main funding programme dedicated to weed management activities.

Natural Heritage Trust and National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality

Weed management activities have also been funded by the Australian Government at the national, regional and local level through the $3.1 billion Natural Heritage Trust  (the Trust) and the $1.4 billion National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality  (NAP).

The Natural Heritage Trust has just been extended for another five years, from 2008/2009, with additional funding of $2 billion over this period. The Natural Heritage Trust/NAP contribute substantial funding for weed management activities in Australia.

The Trust was set up by the Australian Government to help restore and conserve Australia's environment and natural resources. The Trust is delivered at the national, regional and local level. The regional level implementation of the Trust takes place through 56 regions that cover all of Australia. Envirofund  delivers the local level component of the Natural Heritage Trust. It helps local communities undertake important on-ground environmental activities.

The NAP was set up to tackle salinity and water quality problems and is primarily delivered at the regional level, covering 21 affected regions in Australia. The NAP supports practical remedies such as the protection and rehabilitation of waterways, improvements to native vegetation, engineering works, and land and water use changes.

Weed management in the Natural Resource Management regions

In order to facilitate the integrated delivery of Natural Resource Management  (NRM) priority issues, the Australian Government, in associated with state and territory governments, identified 56 regions covering all of Australia.

An integrated NRM plan, developed within local communities, and supported by government and the best available science, has been developed for each region. These plans consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of NRM decisions on a regional basis, which will help improve the sustainable management of natural resources on a regional scale. The management plans include actions for weed management.

National Cost-Sharing Eradication Programmes

The National Cost-Sharing Eradication Programmes are other programmes for which the Australian Government provides significant funding. The programmes map, coordinate and undertake activities to eradicate six weed species from Australia.

National Land and Water Resources Audit

The National Land and Water Resources Audit  (the Audit) plays an important role in working with the Australian Government, and all states and territories, to report on the condition of Australia's land, water and biological resources. Weeds are one of the key topics, or matters for target, to be reported on.

Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities programme

The Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities  (CERF) is an Australian Government initiative to improve Australia's capacity to understand and respond to priority environment concerns through funding of $100 million, over a four year period until June 2010. An investment of $60 million will support national environmental research priorities through a series of competitive grant processes.

To date, seven research hubs have been funded under CERF. Although many projects under the hubs are still being established, several incorporate biological security issues, including the detection, monitoring and management of weeds.

Weed Warriors

Under the Natural Heritage Trust, the Australian Government has contributed funding to the Weed Warriors  programme. Weed Warriors is a national programme for schools, administered and supported by national and state/territory coordinators.

As Weed Warriors, students become involved in the management of a local weed problem when they join with land managers and community groups to implement a biological control programme for a regional priority weed. The Weed Warriors programme is adaptive to all levels of education. However the programme is most often targeted at grades 3 to 6 in primary schools and years 7 to 9 in secondary schools.

Managing Commonwealth land

The Australian Government manages Commonwealth lands, such as defence establishments and Commonwealth national parks, and is responsible for weed management on this land.

The Department of Defence is responsible for managing weeds on the land under its responsibility. The Department of Defence has a Defence Environment Policy and a Defence Environmental Strategic Plan  to guide environmental management actions.

Parks Australia  has responsibility for Commonwealth parks and reserves including areas located on external island territories and within Australian waters beyond the state limit of three nautical miles. Three of the six Commonwealth National Parks, namely Kakadu, Uluru and Booderee, are managed jointly with their Aboriginal Traditional Owners. Each protected area has a Management Plan which includes weeds management. Reducing the impact of weeds in native vegetation may be an important strategy for reducing the impact of climate change and for recovering populations of threatened species in protected areas.

The National Landcare Programme

The National Landcare Programme  (NLP) is a longstanding programme within the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry which supports the sustainable use and management of natural resources. The NLP encourages landholders to undertake landcare and related works by supporting collective action by communities.

The aim of the NLP is to increase engagement by industry and resource users, including community landcare groups, in landcare and other Natural Resource Management activities, with a focus on developing alliances with sustainable primary industries.

Weed management in the states and territories

The state and territory governments also have a range of programmes, policies and legislation to meet their responsibilities for weed management.

Local Government

Local Governments have different land and weed management responsibilities dependent on which state or territory they are in. In some states, local governments are responsible for planning, coordinating and monitoring noxious weed control.

Local Governments may have local weed strategies and community weed management programmes in place. The also have a role in weed management on their own land.

Your local government is often a useful source for information on what weeds are a problem in your area. Please contact your local government, or check their website, for information on local weed issues, or weed management responsibilities in your area.

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