A Biosecurity Strategy for Victoria
Agriculture Victoria has developed a Biosecurity Strategy for Victoria following a lengthy process of consultation involving nearly 450 stakeholders. Agriculture Victoria is the lead agency for biosecurity response in Victoria but the strategy stresses the importance of collaboration across agencies, industries and landscapes for a strong biosecurity system.
The strategy was launched by Minister for Agriculture the Hon. Ros Spence at an online roundtable event at the end of November and Alicia had the opportunity to attend and learn about the strategy. The online event was highly interactive thanks to facilitation by MosaicLab, and featured presentations from a wide variety of speakers across the biosecurity, agriculture and natural resource management industries.
The strategy outlines 5 strategic goals and 20 priority actions to get all sectors involved in collective action to protect Victoria’s biosecurity. The importance of partnerships, collaboration, and finding common ground towards a shared goal was emphasized. Community-led initiatives and Traditional Owner involvement were also a key focus.
Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence also announced a new grant round aimed at improving the capacity of land managers to manage established weeds and pest animals on their land. The Partnerships Against Pests grants are open to community groups and offer grants of between $10,000 and $50,000 in a competitive process. Applications close on the 19th February 2024.
Yarrilinks is keen to put forward an application and the planning process is underway. Details will be communicated in our upcoming summer newsletter. If you have suggestions about a particular pest, weed, or other issue you’d like to see addressed, get in touch!
Some of the local weeds we’ve been seeing recently:
