Our partners

Local Land Services (LLS) plays a pivotal role in helping to protect against pests, weeds and diseases and other environmental threats. LLS connects landholders with services, advice and networks and helps them to:

• understand, identify, manage and mitigate biosecurity risks
• manage priority weeds and invasives, reducing their impact
• know what, when and how to report pests, weeds and diseases.

LLS prefers to work with land managers to educate and advise them, ensuring they meet their obligations. However, where necessary, authorised officers under the Biosecurity Act 2015 may take action against people who are in breach of the legislation to protect NSW from potential biosecurity threats.

We work with other states and the Commonwealth to manage biosecurity. Pests and diseases don’t respect our borders, so we work together to address biosecurity risks.

The NSW Government is a party to the Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity, which outlines how the Commonwealth, state, and territory governments (except Tasmania) collaborate to manage biosecurity in Australia.

The NSW Government is also party to a series of agreements and deeds that set out how we work with other jurisdictions to respond to biosecurity incidents and emergencies, and how this will be paid for.

We have a representative on the National Biosecurity Committee, which is the governing body that drives collaboration between jurisdictions to effectively manage biosecurity under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity.

Local Control Authorities (which are mostly local councils) play a significant role in biosecurity, particularly for weed management. They play a critical role in local community engagement, public lands management and emergency management assistance.

Local Control Authorities can appoint officers, who have the authority for weeds under the Biosecurity Act.

They play a major role in weed management, through:

• Working with people and groups across the region to manage state and regional priority weeds
• Inspecting public and private land for weeds and discussing weed management with land managers
• Reporting and mapping weed incidents across the state
• Providing input into weed strategy and policy
• Providing education, training and resources for both community and staff
• Undertaking compliance and enforcement action when weed management obligations are not being satisfied.

Local councils and control authorities also participate as our partners to respond to incidents and emergencies.

Industry bodies and participants play a crucial role in biosecurity.

They help provide advice and support to land managers, producers and growers to help them manage biosecurity and provide us with insights and feedback on policies, programs and information resources to improve how we manage biosecurity in NSW.

During incidents, the role of industry is critical in helping to ensure information reaches the right people and to coordinate industry involvement in responses.