Our partners & programs

Local Land Services plays a pivotal role in helping to protect against pests, weeds and diseases and other environmental threats. Local Land Services connects landholders with services, advice and networks.

Local Land Services is supporting best biosecurity outcomes across NSW by working with NSW DPI, land managers and other stakeholders to set priorities and strategies for managing biosecurity risks. By having a regionally tailored approach Local Land Services can ensure the biosecurity needs and challenges of each region are considered and addressed.

Local Land Services works closely with the  community and land managers on their biosecurity duties and helps them to:

• Understand, identify, manage, mitigate biosecurity risks
• manage priority weeds and invasives, reducing their impact
• know what, when and how to report pests, weeds and diseases

Local Land Services prefers to work with land managers to educate and advise them in order to ensure they meet their obligations. However, where necessary, authorised officers under the Biosecurity Act may take action against people who are in breach of the legislation to protect NSW from potential biosecurity threats.

Local Land Services investigates and responds to biosecurity incidents and emergencies with NSW DPI.

It is critical that we work with other states and the Commonwealth to manage biosecurity. Pests and diseases don’t respect our borders,  so we need to work together to address biosecurity risks.

The NSW Government is party to the Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity, which helps set out how the Commonwealth, state and territory governments (except Tasmania) work together to manage biosecurity in Australia.

The NSW Government is also party to a series of agreements and deeds that set out how we work with other jurisdictions to respond to biosecurity incidents and emergencies and how this will be paid for.

NSW DPI has a representative on the National Biosecurity Committee, which is the governing body that drives collaboration between jurisdictions to effectively manage biosecurity under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity.

Local Control Authorities (which are mostly local councils) play a significant role in biosecurity, particularly for weed management. They play a critical role in local community engagement, public lands management and emergency management assistance.

Local Control Authorities can appoint officers, who have the authority for weeds under the Biosecurity Act.

They play a major role in weed management, through:

• Working with people and groups across the region to manage state and regional priority weeds.
• Inspecting public and private land for weeds and discussing weed management with land managers
• Reporting and mapping weed incidents across the state
• Providing input into weed strategy and policy
• Providing education, training and resources for both community and staff
• Undertaking compliance and enforcement action when weed management obligations are not being satisfied.

Local councils and control authorities also participate as a partner with NSW DPI to respond to incidents and emergencies.

Industry bodies and participants play a crucial role in biosecurity.

They help provide advice and support to land managers, producers and growers to help them manage biosecurity and provide NSW DPI with insights and feedback on policies, programs and information resources to improve how we manage biosecurity in NSW.

During incidents, the role of industry is critical in helping to ensure information reaches the right people and to coordinate industry involvement in responses.

A peri-urban area is the interface between urban and rural lands. For example, residential areas with agricultural lands are peri-urban.

Peri-urban areas are commonly populated with hobby farms, community gardens, or small-scale, non-commercial agricultural enterprises.

These areas are known to present a prime pathway for diseases, pests and weeds reaching our agricultural regions.

It is critical that we raise awareness of biosecurity risks and encourage people in peri-urban areas to take action to protect NSW from biosecurity threats.

Sydney, in particular, faces many biosecurity challenges. It is the gateway to NSW and  has more incoming international travellers and freight than anywhere else in the country. It also has a high density of small lot holders.

In 2015 NSW DPI partnered with Greater Sydney Local Land Services, to develop and deliver the Peri Urban Biosecurity Program.

The program continues in key locations across NSW and focuses on strengthening collaboration and improving the capacity of all stakeholders and land managers to respond to, manage and control biosecurity threats.