Resilience and sustainable development
A swag of state and federal government initiatives aim to assist regional communities in adapting to change and support sustainable development.
This brief overview outlines some of the major initiatives.
Victorian Government Programs
The Future Farming Strategy (FFS) aims to encourage innovation, increase productivity and assist Victoria’s farming sector to adapt to change through the use of new technology and farming practices.
$205 million will be invested across seven Action Areas including research and development, skills training, pest plant and animal management, and new product and market development. (73)
One Action Areas focuses on supporting farm businesses to plan for climate change and to provide farmers with new technologies and strategies to adapt their farming systems to future climate conditions. However, it falls short of making the link between climate change adaptation and river health objectives. Identification of areas no longer suitable for irrigation and transition away from irrigation are major adaptations to climate change. The FFS could provide an opportunity to connect changes in irrigation area with water recovery for rivers, and plan for an orderly transition to alternative land uses in previously irrigated areas.
A key area that can either assist or hinder landscape reconfiguration is the planning system. The Future Farming: Rural Planning Group (74) has been established to make recommendations to the Victorian Minister for Planning on a range of policy areas related to agricultural and rural land use planning, This group has an opportunity to ensure these issues are addressed within the context of a water buy-back framework, whereby river health objectives are explicitly linked to a process for identifying priority areas for water buy-back and hence priority areas for land-use change.
The Victorian Regional Strategic Planning Initiative (75) is a cross-Government project is being led by Regional Development Victoria (RDV) and overseen by a Ministerial Taskforce for Regional Planning.
The aim of the initiative is to “manage growth and change in provincial Victoria, and ensure the future of liveable, productive and sustainable communities.” A state-level blueprint, due for release in 2010, will set the policy direction for future Government investment and programs in provincial Victoria over the next decade.
Regional Development Victoria is also responsible for the Moving Forward initiative and its 2008-10 Update. This package is designed to improve sustainable economic growth and development in regional Victoria. (76)
It is important that both these RDV initiatives are undertaken within the context of a solid understanding of the natural resource management issues and challenges facing the region. Any consideration of the social and economic futures of communities and industries in the region will need to take into account the natural resource management issues driving change in those areas, and adequately plan for transition where appropriate, to deliver multiple economic, environmental and social benefits.
It will also be important that strong links and effective working relationships are established between these initiatives and related Victorian Government programs such as the Future Farming Strategy and DIIRD’s Action Plans for Victorian Industry and Manufacturing.
A further key process is the Victorian Climate Change Green Paper. (77)
This paper is intended to position Victoria to capitalise on new jobs and skills, new technologies and new markets and accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy. and adaptation actions on behalf of the Victorian community to protect the environment, key public assets and manage major public risks.
It will be important that the Victorian Government’s approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation not only identifies the industries in which new opportunities may arise, but also acknowledges the need for proactive development of new economic opportunities which deliver multiple environmental and social benefits in areas where climate change is likely to make existing activities, particularly irrigated agriculture increasingly difficult. Some of these options are explored in a recent DIIRD report. (78)
The policy and actions announced in Securing our Natural Future - a white paper for land and biodiversity at a time of climate change have the potential to create an integrated NRM framework for the state. However it has no detailed implementation plan and little funding allocated. Achieving its goals and aspirations will require significant investment by government and others. (79)
Commonwealth Government Programs
The Commonwealth Government delivers a range of natural resource management and environmental programs through the Caring for our Country program.
This program integrates delivery of the previous Australian Government's natural resource management programs, including the Natural Heritage Trust, the National Landcare Program, the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, the Environmental Stewardship Program and the Working on Country Indigenous land and sea ranger program.
National drought policy (NDP) could be used more effectively to support sustainable land use change.
The Productivity Commission has recently undertaken a public inquiry into government drought support arrangements in Australia, to identify the most appropriate way for governments to assist farmers, farm businesses and farm dependent rural small businesses to improve their self-reliance and preparedness for drought events. (80)
The report acknowledges that the current ‘irrigation drought’ in areas such as Northern Victoria is unprecedented. It concludes that the NDP’s Exceptional Circumstances (EC) drought assistance programs do not help farmers improve their self-reliance, preparedness or climate change management. EC payments are intended as a response to events that are rare (every 20-25 years) or severe, but 29 percent of EC assistance recipients across Australia have received continuous assistance for the last 2-5 years, and some regions in Australia have been EC-declared for more than 10 years. (81)
In response, the Productivity Commission supports continued Government investment in research, extension and professional advice to assist farmers improve their business management skills and self-reliance. They suggest this investment be explicitly linked with support for preparation for a less water dependent future, rather than simply directed towards assisting farmers to manage status quo operations more effectively.
The Commission’s recommendations also highlight the need for better coordination and integration of government policies relating to water, natural resource management and climate change that often operating at cross purposes.
References
(73) Victorian Government (2008) Future Farming: Productive, Competitive and Sustainable, April 2008
(74) http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/DSE/nrenpl.nsf/LinkView/7D06907CE6311A2ACA257561007877031E5D9357D6368555CA2572CE00103123
(75) http://www.business.vic.gov.au/BUSVIC/LANDING/PC_63521.html
(76) Victorian Government (2005) Moving Forward: Making Provincial Victoria the best place to live, work and invest, Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development
(77) Victorian Government (2009) Victorian Climate Change Green Paper, Department of Premier and Cabinet, June 2009
(78) Allen Consulting (2009),Victoria’s Greenhouse Opportunity Set p. iv
(79) See Victoria Naturally Alliance website for details http://victorianaturally.org.au/page.php?name=landandbiodiversitywhitepaper
(80) Government Drought Support. Productivity Commission Inquiry Report No 46, February 2009
(81) Victorian Government submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into the National Drought Program, 29 October 2008
