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.
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| Document title | Relevant text in the policy | Domain | Topic | State | Local Government name | Council type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballina Shire Council Climate Action Strategy 2012-2020 | This strategy addresses the increasing problem of water resource depletion by reducing consumption of potable water and minimising the amount of wastewater being released to the environment. The Ballina Shire Council has developed an integrated, shire-wide Urban Water Management Strategy which includes the urban centres of Ballina and Lennox Head, as well as the villages of Alstonville, Wardell and Wollongbar. The strategy was developed in consultation with Council, community, government and semi-government authority representatives. It has embraced a number of statutory and contemporary planning principles such as the need for integrated planning and management of natural resources. Key components of the strategy cover: • • • Water quality management Stormwater management Recycled water management | Sustainability and Environment | Food supply and food system resilience | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Council Climate Action Strategy 2012-2020 | Water cycle management involves strategic and asset management planning for the shire’s water supply, sewerage reticulation and effluent re-use. strategies • • • Ensure effective delivery of water and sewer services to the community in light of changing climatic conditions. | Sustainability and Environment | Food supply and food system resilience | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Council Climate Action Strategy 2012-2020 | Compost bins and worm farms are provided at cost price to Ballina Shire residents who wish to gain the many benefits of composting and worm farming at home. Compost, when added to a garden, improves soil nutrients, microrganism levels and ability to hold water. Worms in a worm farm break down nearly all kinds of fruit and vegetable scraps and convert them to liquid fertiliser (worm tea) and castings which can be used as potting mix for growing seedlings and is also an excellent source of nutrients for plants. | Food Waste | Food losses and food waste | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | Facilitate greater housing choice through an adequate mixture of dwelling types. The population of Ballina Shire is likely to experience a number of significant changes over the next 20 years, due to the general ageing of the population and declining average household size. There are also identified issues with respect to declining housing affordability. These trends are likely to result in demand for a greater variety of dwelling types, including a greater variety of 'medium density' dwelling types. This approach supports the requirement of the FNCRS for the provision of housing that responds to the ageing population and consideration of adaptable and affordable housing issues. | Social Policy | Affordable housing | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | Local government will consider a range of affordable housing strategies, including forms of low cost housing, suitable zonings and development controls to improve housing choice, and specific schemes. These strategies must be consistent with relevant State policies. | Social Policy | Affordable housing | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | Maintain access to affordable housing | Social Policy | Affordable housing | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | Provide for affordable housing stock. Affordability of housing is an increasing critical issue for the local population, including the workforce (particularly those aged less than 30). Without affordable housing options, the workforce may shift to alternative locations outside the shire, diminishing the skills available to the shire. This may have a significant negative impact on a range of business activity and could result in the relocation of business outside the shire to access a workforce. A workforce shift due to affordability, combined with the ageing population could significantly reduce the available workforce in the shire in the future. | Social Policy | Affordable housing | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | The Ballina Local Growth Management Strategy aims to support this dwelling density target through a number of actions, namely: Including a strategic action to identify preferred precincts for infill development intensification including lot consolidation and multi-storey development having regard for: proximity to key community and commercial facilities; capacity of urban infrastructure; residential amenity and heritage values; and provision and retention of affordable housing. | Social Policy | Affordable housing | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | These drinking water sources (or parts thereof that are located within Ballina Page 24 Shire) are protected by virtue of clause 7.5 of the Ballina Local Environmental Plan 2011. | Health and Wellbeing | Access to safe drinking water | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | Future neighbourhood shopping facilities have been planned for the Skennars Head locality adjacent to Xavier Catholic College and within the Pacific Pines residential release area at Lennox Head. It is also anticipated that Cumbalum will incorporate commercial development centred on a supermarket in order to provide for the needs of the local population as the area grows | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | The Kerr Street Retail Precinct is characterised by Ballina Fair Shopping Centre, the Kmart and Coles shopping complex and the relatively new Ballina Central development. These facilities are typified by retail businesses including higher order supermarket, specialty and department store outlets. | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | and Regionally Significant Farmland Agricultural production plays an important role in the economic foundation and food security of Ballina Shire and the North Coast region. Ballina Shire contains land that is identified by the NSW State Government Farmland Protection Project as comprising State and Regionally Significant Farmland. This land is afforded particular protections from alienation by a Ministerial Direction (made under s.117 of the EP&A Act), that councils must have regard for in the preparation of local environmental plans. The distribution of State and Regionally Significant Farmland, within Ballina Shire is shown in the mapping that follows. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | Avoid and mitigate the potential for land use conflicts to occur between urban land uses and between urban and non-urban land uses. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | Barriers to outward expansion due to presence of significant physical constraints including agricultural lands, soft soils and flooding. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | Development opportunities (including outward expansion of the village) are constrained by flooding, soft soils, agricultural activities and by the ecolocial values of surrounding natural areas. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | Maintain appropriate protections for agriculturally productive land through the Local Environmental Plan. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| BALLINA SHIRE COUNCIL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | The purpose of identifying Strategic Urban Growth Areas for each urban locality in the shire is to: improve transparency and community understanding of the planning process; and provide a clear strategic approach to land development, to avoid the negative effects associated with: land speculation on non-urban land, including the sterilisation of agricultural activities due to inflated land values; and the tying up of Council resources in the assessment of nebulous development proposals; | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Urban Water Management Strategy Strategy Initiatives – Recommended Action Details | Achievement of targets will be challenging as only a single reuse option, irrigation, has been adopted. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Urban Water Management Strategy Strategy Initiatives – Recommended Action Details | Additional opportunity for agricultural reuse based on relationships established with local farmers under the reclaimed water reuse program | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Urban Water Management Strategy Strategy Initiatives – Recommended Action Details | Opportunity to achieve 100% reuse based on agricultural demands already identified. Because of the greater demand on the Plateau for reclaimed reuse water, those purposes that better value the water as a resource should have priority provided these are proved to be sustainable and affordable. Programming: continue the implementation of the irrigation reuse program with target completion by September 2004. Review the outcomes of the SCU investigations on Maguires Creek and implications for a likely EIA for the reuse implementation. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Urban Water Management Strategy Strategy Initiatives – Recommended Action Details | Prior to tendering there may be advantages in carrying out trial studies for: ! applications to sugar cane farming ! composting at Alstonville Tree Farm (subject to planning considerations) ! composting at landfill ! vermiculture | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Urban Water Management Strategy Strategy Initiatives – Recommended Action Details | Programming: commence investigations immediately in conjunction with trial irrigation reuse scheme linked to the upgrade of the Lennox Head STW | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Urban Water Management Strategy Strategy Initiatives – Recommended Action Details | Reclaimed Water Management Strategy – continue to develop and implement the current option for agricultural reuse by local users. Positive response from irrigators in the area around the Alstonville STW and submissions to the option exhibition. Purpose: – to support achievement of nominated reuse targets in the most cost effective and sustainable way. (Guiding Principles 1&4 | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Urban Water Management Strategy Strategy Initiatives – Recommended Action Details | Reclaimed Water Management Strategy – further investigate broadacre cropping, and/or large-scale regeneration wetlands on low-lying coastal land to achieve reuse targets | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Urban Water Management Strategy Strategy Initiatives – Recommended Action Details | Reclaimed Water Salinity Reduction – proceed immediately to carry out identified infiltration/inflow rectification works with a priority for the reduction of saline water intrusions to the system Purpose: reduce costs of dealing with higher inflow, improve treatment efficiency and increase the range and effectiveness of potential reclaimed water Ensure that best practice opportunities are incorporated into the Shire urban water strategy in a timely manner to achieve the objectives of the strategy | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Urban Water Management Strategy Strategy Initiatives – Recommended Action Details | Some issues to consider as part of this recommendation are: ! Land availability and soil types ! Choice of crop types ! Relationship to mop-crop trials ! Reliance of wetlands on continuous supply of reclaimed water ! Approval process | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Urban Water Management Strategy Strategy Initiatives – Recommended Action Details | Trial Irrigation Reuse Project – Identify and develop a 30-50 ha broad-acre reclaimed water reuse trial to receive reclaimed water from the upgraded Lennox Head STW | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Urban Water Policy Statement | Reclaimed Water Management Strategy – continue to develop and implement the current option for agricultural reuse by local users | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Ballina Shire Urban Water Policy Statement | Reclaimed Water Management Strategy – further investigate broad-acre cropping, and/or large-scale regeneration wetlands on low-lying coastal land to achieve reuse targets | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | NSW | Ballina | Regional |
| Banyule City Council A waste avoidance, waste management and resource recovery plan for the Banyule community | Deliver waste avoidance, reuse and correct recycling education through Council's Rethink Centre and community education programs | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | Victoria | Banyule | Metropolitan |