Welcome to the Australian Local Food System Policy Database. This is a collection of policies from New South Wales (NSW) and Victorian local governments that relate to healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems.
For further information about using the database and how it was created see How to use the database. You can search the database by using the fields below. Domain refers to eight broad categories under which various topics are situated. The domains and topics are based on a framework of recommendations for local government action on creating a healthy, sustainable, and equitable food system (also located on the ‘How to use the database’ page linked above).
To cite the database: Reeve B, Carrad A, Rose N, Charlton K & Aguirre-Bielschowsky I (2021) Australian Local Food System Policy Database. Available at: https://law-food-systems.sydney.edu.au/policy-database (access date).
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Hold Ctrl to select multiple terms. Using ‘any words’ functions as an “OR” search. Using ‘all words’ functions as and “AND” search.
Search Criteria:
| Document title | Relevant text in the policy | Domain | Topic | State | Local Government name | Council type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse Action Plan 2018 – 2021 | Deliver edible gardening workshops to encourage residents to grow their own food.* | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | Victoria | Wyndham | Metropolitan |
| Greenhouse Action Plan 2018 – 2021 | Develop community food waste education programs to reduce food waste and encourage a plant based diet.* | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | Victoria | Wyndham | Metropolitan |
| Greenhouse Action Plan 2018 – 2021 | Deliver edible gardening workshops to encourage residents to grow their own food.* | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Wyndham | Metropolitan |
| Greenhouse Action Plan 2018-2022 | Continue to deliver the Green Waste collection service and promote discounted compost bins and worm farms to reduce organic waste to land fill. | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Hume | Metropolitan |
| Greenhouse Action Plan 2018-2022 | Continue to deliver the Green Waste collection service and promote discounted compost bins and worm farms to reduce organic waste to land fill. | Food Waste | Food losses and food waste | Victoria | Hume | Metropolitan |
| GREENHOUSE REDUCTION LOCAL ACTION PLAN 2007 | Reduction of organic and hard waste going to landfill by: o Publicity by Council on worm farms, composting o Community education o School education o Shredding garden waste for mulch o Promotion of an organic bag instead of disposable plastic for shopping | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | Victoria | Moorabool | Regional |
| GREENHOUSE REDUCTION LOCAL ACTION PLAN 2007 | With a greenhouse gas emission of 27.8% in 1996, reduction actions to promote best practice in partnership with agencies in: o Stubble management | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Moorabool | Regional |
| GREENHOUSE REDUCTION LOCAL ACTION PLAN 2007 | With a greenhouse gas emission of 27.8% in 1996, reduction actions to promote best practice in partnership with agencies in: o Stubble management | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | Victoria | Moorabool | Regional |
| GREENHOUSE REDUCTION LOCAL ACTION PLAN 2007 | Reduction of organic and hard waste going to landfill by: o Publicity by Council on worm farms, composting o Community education o School education o Shredding garden waste for mulch o Promotion of an organic bag instead of disposable plastic for shopping | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Moorabool | Regional |
| GREENHOUSE REDUCTION LOCAL ACTION PLAN 2007 | With a greenhouse gas emission of 27.8% in 1996, reduction actions to promote best practice in partnership with agencies in: o Stubble management | Sustainability and Environment | Animal husbandry | Victoria | Moorabool | Regional |
| GREENHOUSE REDUCTION LOCAL ACTION PLAN 2007 | Reduction of organic and hard waste going to landfill by: o Publicity by Council on worm farms, composting o Community education o School education o Shredding garden waste for mulch o Promotion of an organic bag instead of disposable plastic for shopping | Food Waste | Food losses and food waste | Victoria | Moorabool | Regional |
| Greening Plan | Educational/Motivational Sustainable land management has now become an important focus for agricultural management and landowners are increasingly becoming aware of the principles and techniques that relate to environmental restoration and management. awareness of environmental management by Council could increase landholder disseminating information and/or undertaking education events for interested landholders. There are already numerous suitable events such as field days and short courses, which are run by organisations, including DLWC, Greening Australia and NSW Agriculture, at which Council could make information available to relevant/interested landholders. | Economic Development | Local food producers | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | Revegetation endeavours will be voluntary. The benefits of revegetation and sustainable or active vegetation management will be highlighted through community education programs. Local examples of best practice agriculture, such as that being developed at the CB Alexander Agricultural College at Tocal will be promoted to interested landholders. | Economic Development | Local food producers | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | 4.2 Broad Management Considerations There are a number of vegetation management issues that are common to all areas to ensure the future presence of biodiversity and the amelioration of land degradation issues in the Maitland region. The following considerations are important in all areas of native vegetation be they in the urban or agricultural landscape and should be considerations where management assistance is provided to individual properties or other revegetation endeavours in the Maitland LGA. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | 5.2 The Vision: The vision of the Greening Plan in terms of revegetation is to increase the presence of native vegetation in the landscape so as to improve habitat for biodiversity in the local area in the long term and begin the process of reducing the impact of land degradation on the landholders and the wider community. Revegetation works conducted through out the LGA will also have an impact on landscape amenity, whilst creating an additional agricultural sector through the development of farm forestry in the LGA. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | An environmental levy is arguably the most effective way for Council to implement the proposals presented in the Greening Plan in a fair and equitable manner, ie. the application of a base rate across the entire Maitland Community, not just bushland landholders or members of the agricultural community. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | Educational/Motivational Sustainable land management has now become an important focus for agricultural management and landowners are increasingly becoming aware of the principles and techniques that relate to environmental restoration and management. awareness of environmental management by Council could increase landholder disseminating information and/or undertaking education events for interested landholders. There are already numerous suitable events such as field days and short courses, which are run by organisations, including DLWC, Greening Australia and NSW Agriculture, at which Council could make information available to relevant/interested landholders. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | Encouragement and recognition of landholders who are involved in environmental management will be an important adjunct to other initiatives. Recognition for restoration works throughout the LGA could therefore be undertaken to highlight success stories. The Maitland Show, given the strong agricultural focus would provide a good forum to present such an award and prize. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | II. Introduced species: The Maitland region has a wide variety of problematic plant and animal species that are impacting on biodiversity. A Noxious Weeds program exists in the Maitland LGA with Council staff and resources actively controlling a prescribed group of plants that have been identified in relation to agricultural productivity. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | In the agricultural environment, native vegetation can be utilised for a variety of on farm benefit, including the role biodiversity has in the relation to productivity improvement, water quality management and over all long-term sustainability. The Greening Plan encourages the following vegetation management practices for the farm environment: | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | It is not the intention of the Maitland Greening Plan to create an extra burden or expense for landholders in such areas, but rather a strategy to encourage greater stewardship of the environment that compatible with agriculture landuse. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | Management requirements for agricultural bushland include: • Appropriate mapping and assessment; • Landholder education and involvement; • Appropriate fencing and stock control; • Buffer plantings; • Inclusion in farm management plan; • Weed management; • Sustainable bushfire management; • Linking with other vegetated areas; • Increase in vegetation in the complements current land use; and wider • Fence off riparian zone and replanting. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | Recommendation 9 Environmental Awards Encouragement and recognition of landholders who are involved in environmental management will be an important adjunct to other initiatives. Recognition for restoration works throughout the LGA could therefore be undertaken to highlight success stories. The Maitland Show, given the strong agricultural focus would provide a good forum to present such an award and prize. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | Revegetation endeavours will be voluntary. The benefits of revegetation and sustainable or active vegetation management will be highlighted through community education programs. Local examples of best practice agriculture, such as that being developed at the CB Alexander Agricultural College at Tocal will be promoted to interested landholders. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | Revegetation works are proposed to be undertaken as part of the Maitland Greening Plan. Priority revegetation sites and corridors have been identified as shown in Figures 32 & 33 based on the following rationale: 1. Buffer and augment existing vegetated areas conservation significance; with high 2. Connect areas of existing vegetation; 3. Stabilise drainage lines; 4. Restore wetland areas; 5. Rehabilitate areas impacted upon by land degradation; 6. Augment communities with limited extents (<10%); 7. Recreate vegetated vistas to add to visual amenity for the region. 8. Benefit landholders through local comfort and productivity improvements. 9. Recreation opportunities on publicly owned land. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | Salinity Credits Similar to carbon credits, salinity credits are being trialed as a means to encourage the control of salinity. A value is assigned to vegetation in the upper catchment as a means of mitigating future salinity in the lower catchment. Various programs have been established throughout Australia including one in the Hunter Valley to help mitigate saline mine discharge. Broad scale changes to agricultural land management are also likely to be necessary to reduce or eliminate the process of ground water rise, and control salinity. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | Section 4 of the Greening Plan also highlights the importance of individual property planning and provides some useful suggestions about the effective inclusion of vegetation as part of property planning. For example, the Plan considers the value of windbreaks and shade trees to farm productivity. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | To protect biodiversity landholders need to avoid situations where habitat modification occurs through issues such as: • Unsustainable Bushfire management • Unmanaged/unwanted public access • Trail development • Rubbish dumping • Unsustainable fire wood collection • Livestock grazing | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | Wetlands Maitland retains a similar area of wetlands as bushland. The value of wetlands in relation to biodiversity conservation, water quality and tourism has been highlighted and should form an important part of the Maitland Greening Plan. Wetlands are also an important focus for revegetation works as they are not a productive part of the farm environment (in an agricultural context) and can add significant biodiversity to a farm through simple restoration and protection works | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |
| Greening Plan | Wetlands Maitland’s wetlands have been heavily impacted upon by changing land use within their catchments, including drainage and infilling in various locations and the removal of wetland forest communities, which were important in buffering the wetlands from external processes. The wetlands also suffer from the impacts of erosion and salinity, and as a result of flood mitigation works, which often isolate the wetland systems from the river environment. This has effectively stopped all movement of fish species from the river to wetland areas that are crucial nursery habitat for many fish species to breed. The Hunter Catchment Management Trust is currently working on the Hexham Swamp Rehabilitation Project that is opening the floodgates on Iron Bark Creek to allow species and materials to move from the river environment to the wetland system. The project is expected to contribute to increasing commercial fish stocks in the Hunter estuary and near by marine areas. In most cases the fencing off of these areas from livestock and some minor replanting works are all that is necessary to allow natural regeneration to take place in these communities. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Maitland | Regional |