Initiative to address roadside weeds and pests

“This funding will support our local councils to carry out important work that protects our rural communities from invasive weeds and pests,” she said.

Councils included in the program and the amount they are receiving are:

Weeds and pests cost the Victorian economy more than $900 million each year by disrupting agricultural production, damaging native biodiversity and contributing to the spread of fires.

The funding will help councils with activities along their rural roadsides, including treating and preventing ‘regionally-controlled’ and ‘restricted’ weeds, managing rabbit populations and community consultation.

Regionally-controlled weeds are defined as being widespread in a region, requiring landowners to prevent growth and spread, while restricted weeds are considered a serious threat to all states and territories.

Trading restricted weeds and their propagules, either as plants, seeds, or contaminants, in other materials, was banned.

Weeds could be categorised differently depending on where they were in the state, for example, Ragwort was ‘controlled’ in Corangamite, Glenelg, East and West Gippsland, Port Phillip and Western Port, ‘prohibited’ in Goulburn and north-east Victoria and ‘restricted’ in Mallee, north-central Victoria and the Wimmera.

State Local Government Minister Melissa Horne said the government was investing $11.5 million over four years in the Weeds and Pests Control Program, providing greater protections for agriculture, roads and the environment.

“We’re supporting local communities to reduce the spread of weeds and pests along rural roadsides, that have the potential to wreak havoc on native plant species,” she said.

“Through better control of our roadside weeds and pests, we could potentially save our farmers and economy millions of dollars each year.”