Address at 2025 National Landcare conference

[Acknowledgments omitted]

As many of you would know, Landcare started in regional Victoria in 1986.

It was then the National Farmers Federation and the Australian Conservation Foundation who came together to work with the then Hawke Labor Government to implement Landcare nationally in 1989.

To this day, this remains a proud Labor legacy.

Over the past 30 years it has evolved to become one of the largest volunteer movements in Australia with more than 6,000 community groups, and over 160,000 volunteers.

Our Government recognises and supports the significant role that Landcare plays in the sustainable management of Australia’s unique natural resources.

The Natural Heritage Trust supports Landcare Australia and the National Landcare Network with $14.5 million to help manage Australia’s natural resources, and to promote the uptake of sustainable agricultural practices and environmental protection.

This is a key part of the Government’s commitment to natural resource management, sustainable agriculture, and environmental protection.

And of course, supporting regional communities and the Landcare movement.

As the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry I also acknowledge the vital role that the movement plays in supporting the productivity and profitability of the ag sector that I have the great privilege of representing.

The practical sustainability outcomes that your incredible movement achieves in these industries is something we should be proud of.

And it’s something that we can be inspired by.

To quote Hawke’s 1989 speech in launching Landcare:

“the degradation of our environment is not simply a local problem, nor a problem for one State or another, nor for the Commonwealth alone... it is a problem for all of us... individually and together, and the solution to this problem is found through co-operation”.

I’ve seen this incredible co-operation in action as Minister and over many years in communities across my own electorate in Tasmania.

Sustainable, climate-smart practices - just like those that have been fostered by Landcare over almost 30 years - are central to Australia’s agenda for agriculture and key to the sector’s future success.

Last week, our Government released Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment and Adaptation Plan.

The risk assessment clearly laid out the increased cross sector risks in the future, including declining ecosystem health, impacts to our water security and impact on agricultural productivity.

However, what we know, and as was acknowledged all the way back in 1989, is that those of you who look after the land are already global leaders in adaptation and resilience.

And continued collaboration between all of us in the room will be key to mitigating the effects of a changing environment.

Agriculture accounts for over half of Australia’s land use, so the sustainable management of this land is an important issue for both farm businesses and the nation as a whole.

It benefits all of us.

ABARES recently projected the 2025-26 forecast for agriculture, fisheries and forestry production would reach $101.6 billion, the largest on record.

This milestone is a credit to the hard work, resilience and skill of farmers and those managing the land, ensuring our landscapes and farmland remain sustainable and viable in the long-term.

The continued growth in our agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors is good for our farmers, it’s good for our regional economies, and it’s good for our trade relationships.

But the future productivity of the agriculture sector will rely on the health of our farmland and preservation of our natural capital.

And we have already seen great progress on this front.

The agriculture sector is setting ambitious emissions-reduction and environmental goals and adapting to the impacts of climate change while maintaining profitability and supporting food security at home and abroad.

Australian farmers are world leaders in sustainable practices – using less fertiliser and producing more food with fewer emissions than almost anywhere in the world.

Australia also has comparably low on-farm emissions.

A basket of agricultural goods produced in Australia produces 42% less emissions than in the United States, 29% less than the EU and 12% less than New Zealand.

While this success is something we can be rightly proud of, our Government understands that we cannot afford to standstill.

To meet Net Zero by 2050, there needs to be significant effort by governments and industry. 

Agriculture currently contributes approximately 18% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, including electricity and fuel use.  

The land sector is a net sink of – 16% of Australia’s net emissions.

That’s why our Government has been working closely with industry to set the strategic direction for agricultural emissions reduction.  

And last week we released the Agriculture and Land Sector Plan.

We’ve developed this Plan with the input from so many of you in the room.

The Agriculture and Land Sector Plan ensures that for the first time, we have a shared roadmap that supports our farmers, producers and land managers to seize the opportunities that come with reducing emissions.

This new framework will mean the agriculture and land sectors appropriately contributes to Australia’s net zero target and supports the incredible work that has been undertaken by the movement for the last nearly 30 years.

It establishes strong foundations for future action as we chart a course to reach this target by 2050.

Again, collaboration between all of us will be key

The Plan is backed by significant investments from our Government totaling over $2 billion to ensure farmers can confidently face our climate future.

As a Government we have continued to build on this investment, acknowledging that farmers and producers are hungry for more opportunities.

In late August the Prime Minister committed an additional $1 billion investment into the Regional Investment Corporation.

This is not just extending important drought support for our farmers.

Our Government has also committed to broaden RIC’s scope to also include assistance for improving climate resilience and adaptation.

We look forward to working with you all to ensure this expanded scope of RIC supports the sector’s resilience and ambition.

These new commitments complement funding we are already delivering to practically support farmers.

From reducing emissions, improving biodiversity, managing soil health and supporting research, we have made numerous commitments to support our farmers and producers to become more resilient and to adapt to climate change.

These funding commitments include more than $300 million through the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program, $519 million through the Future Drought Fund, and $60 million as part of early action towards the Agriculture and Land Sector Plan.

As I mentioned earlier, the $1.1 billion Natural Heritage Trust is the key investment vehicle for achieving natural resource management, sustainable agriculture and environmental protection outcomes.

One stream under the broader NHT program is the more than $300 million Climate-Smart Agriculture Program, and includes the Capacity Building Grants.

These grants support farmers to have better access to knowledge and skills relating to best practice climate-smart sustainable agriculture approaches.

And I’m pleased to announce today that 10 projects have been successful through the second Capacity Building Grant Round, sharing in more than $16 million to deliver practical projects around the country - including $2.7 million to Soils for Life to deliver two projects.

This will support our horticultural farmers in Tassie, Northern NSW, Far North QLD and Southwest WA adopt climate smart practices.

It will also help our proud dairy farmers adopt adaptive grazing techniques to reduce their emissions.

These projects will boost sustainability, support ongoing collaboration between the agriculture and land sectors, and improve the outcomes we are all here to celebrate today.

Congratulations to these 9 recipients and I look forward to hearing and seeing the impacts of these projects.

While we know Australia has a world class food system, we cannot afford to be complacent.

Or to ignore the new and emerging challenges facing our food system and supply chains.

How our farmers adapt to a changing climate will also be an important feature in the development of our government’s new national food security strategy - Feeding Australia. 

We’ve opened public consultation for everyone to have their say on how we can work towards a more productive, resilient and secure food system for Australia.

Discussion paper submissions now close on 1 October.

I would encourage all stakeholders – landholders and farmers, processors, researchers, NRM professionals, innovators and consumers – to get involved and contribute to the discussion on Australia’s food security. 

As you can see, the Albanese Labor Government continues to support the Landcare movement, just as Hawke did in 1989.

We are continuing to invest in our farmers and producers to support sustainable agriculture and better outcomes for our diverse landscapes.

But we know we do not do this work in isolation.

The Agriculture and Land Sector Plan which I’ve spoken about is fundamentally a partnership.

A shared pathway to overcome the challenges of a changing climate and unlock new opportunities for farmers and producers well into the future.

And I know so much good work is already being done to support this effort – including by those in the room today.

So, I want to conclude with a huge thank you for this.

Our Government acknowledges this tremendous effort and will continue to work closely with you.

I would also like to extend a thank you to Landcare Australia for pulling together this extraordinary event, and to all those who are supporting it.

Later tonight, I’m excited to announce the winners of the 2025 Australian Government National Landcare Awards, including the prestigious Bob Hawke Landcare Award, sponsored by the Australian Government through the Natural Heritage Trust.

Would you all please join me in congratulating Landcare Australia for organising this wonderful conference.

Thank you.