Report 17: 2017

Management of Pastoral Lands in Western Australia

Introduction and Background

This audit assessed whether there is a coordinated and effective approach to protect the ecological sustainability of pastoral lands.

We focused on strategies to understand environmental condition and compliance programs to prevent degradation and rehabilitate land. We sought extensive feedback from a range of industry and government stakeholders, who are involved in the management of the pastoral estate and neighbouring land tenures.

Background

Western Australia’s (WA) rangelands cover 87% of the State. They are administered by the State Government. Around 39% of the State’s rangelands (87 million hectares) is under pastoral lease. The remainder consists of unallocated Crown land (UCL), land reserved for conservation or indigenous purposes, non-pastoral leasehold, and freehold.

The pastoral industry commenced in WA in the 1860s. By 1910, the Crown had assigned most of the suitable grazing country to lessees through pastoral lease arrangements that exist in some form to this day. All pastoral leases expired on 30 June 2015. On 1 July 2015, the Minister for Lands renewed leases on 435 pastoral stations for periods of 18 to 50 years. The majority are located in the Southern Rangelands (Table 1).

Table 1 - Pastoral leases in WA

The Kimberley region in northern WA is characterised by highly productive grasslands in the river valleys, extensive areas of low pastoral potential, and reliable rainfall. It is also prone to fire. The region has produced beef cattle since pastoralism commenced and sheep grazing was significant until the 1960s. In contrast, the Pilbara region is dominated by low woodlands over spinifex grasslands. The Southern Rangelands are predominantly less productive shrublands, with high rainfall variability and extended periods of drought. Sheep dominated these 2 regions until the 1990s when the Australian Wool Corporation’s Reserve Price Scheme, a government initiative to stabilise wool prices, collapsed.

Beef cattle is now the focus for 324 of the 435 stations. Only 69, all in the Southern Rangelands focus on sheep and/or goat production, and the remaining 42 are destocked.

Pastoralists traditionally generate income from the sale of livestock and wool. Ongoing productivity depends on good pastoral management, and land condition. Land in good condition can support extensive livestock grazing on native pastures, land in poor condition cannot.

Pastoral leases are also held for reasons other than pastoralism. Examples include leases held by mining companies, indigenous groups for cultural and lifestyle purposes, and philanthropic groups for conservation (Table 2). Some lessees, such as mining companies and Aboriginal corporations, engage land managers and have limited input into day-to-day pastoral business. Other small-scale activities such as tourism, agriculture, and businesses contracting to the mining sector are also common.

Table 2 - Ownership of pastoral leases

Pastoral leases exist in a complex matrix of land tenures and uses (Appendix 1). Native title rights, which recognise the unique ties indigenous groups have to the land, and mining and widespread mineral exploration activities, commonly occur on pastoral lands. Regardless of tenure, the land requires people on the ground to manage it.

Reports over the years have highlighted a decline in rangeland condition (Appendix 2). In 1940, a Royal Commission, following the 1930s Great Depression and drought, reported widespread decline in stock feed with sheep numbers falling by up to 70% in some areas. In 2015[1] the then Department of Food and Agriculture WA (DAFWA) reported ongoing decline and serious implications for the sustainability of the pastoral industry and the State’s resource.

This is the third audit of Pastoral Lands Board (PLB) activities conducted by the Office of the Auditor General. Previous audits assessed the Administration of the Pastoral Leasing Process (1994) with consideration for long-term sustainable development and economic return, with a follow-up audit in 1996. Recommendations included:

  • the then Pastoral Board and Department of Agriculture consider developing an integrated information system to serve as a common reference for pastoral leases
  • procedures for follow-up compliance with lease conditions and recommended land management measures should be enhanced
  • operational policies and assessment procedures should be documented.

Roles and responsibilities

Managing pastoral lands involves many government (Appendix 3) and non-government agencies, private businesses, indigenous organisations and individual lessees.

The PLB is a statutory authority established under section 94 of the Land Administration Act 1997 (LA Act). In accordance with Part 7 of the LA Act, the PLB and the Minister for Lands administer pastoral leases. The PLBs functions include to advise the Minister on policy and the administration of leases, ensure leases are managed on an ecologically sustainable basis, develop policies to prevent degradation and rehabilitate degraded land, and develop and implement monitoring systems for pastoral land, livestock and feral animals.

The PLB is supported by:

  • Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) – provide administrative services
  • Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) – provide services, which include lease assessment and inspection, and advice on applications for diversification permits, land management and land condition trend. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the PLB, DPIRD, the Commissioner of Soil and Land Conservation (the Commissioner) and the then Department of Regional Development and Lands expired in 2015.

Under the LA Act lessees must manage the land to its best pastoral potential to the satisfaction of the PLB, whilst the PLB must ensure that pastoral leases are managed for ecological sustainability. To achieve this, land condition, which is defined by DPIRD as the presence of perennial plant species attractive to livestock as fodder, and the condition of the soil, must be maintained. This presents challenges that include: minimising the impact of other land uses, such as mining and exploration, road works, and tourism; preventing and rehabilitating historic and ongoing land degradation; variability in how pastoral leases and adjacent lands are managed; decline in market prices and income; and isolation.

Sections 108 and 111 of the LA Act also requires that lessees:

  • use methods of best pastoral and environmental management practice for the management of stock, and for the management, conservation and regeneration of pasture for grazing
  • maintain the indigenous pasture and other vegetation to the satisfaction of the PLB
  • control declared pests.

[1] DAFWA (2015). Report to the Commissioner of Soil and Land Conservation on the Trend of the Western Australian Pastoral Resource Base.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Page last updated: August 9, 2018

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