budgetconsultation@act.gov.au

Re. 2026-27 Budget

Friends of Grasslands (FOG) is a community group dedicated to the conservation of grassy ecosystems in south-eastern Australia - natural temperate grasslands and grassy woodlands. FOG advocates, educates and advises on matters to do with the conservation of these ecosystems, and carries out surveys and on-ground work. FOG is based in Canberra and its members include professional scientists, landowners, land managers and interested members of the public.

FOG urges the ACT Government to support the implementation of the next ACT Nature Conservation Strategy, before and after it is made, and to fund additional measures to halt the decline of the ACT’s natural temperate grasslands (NTG) and box gum woodlands (BGW) in the 2026-27 budget. 

FOG calls on the ACT Government to prioritise funding in the upcoming budget as follows: 

1.       Nature Conservation Strategy implementation

A.    FOG welcomes the draft Nature Conservation Strategy that aims to establish and better protect and manage the ACT’s ‘Nature Conservation Network’ but note the long timeframes for many outcomes. Funding to support the identification of priority conservation values and threats in 2027 and 2028, as well as the making of promised plans and policies within the same target timeframes: 

1. the ACT Landscape Plan
2. Conserved Area Policy
3. Restoration Contributions Policy
4. revise the ACT Environmental Offsets Policy (no longer in effect); and 

B.    Biosecurity – prioritise work on establishment of the Biosecurity Operating Framework alongside urgent supplementation of the biosecurity budget and of capabilities to address current and emerging threats regardless of tenure; and

C.    Workforce capabilities – investment in workforce planning so that Government land managers and ecologists, as well as volunteers, are best equipped to deliver Nature Strategy outcomes; and

D.    A dedicated Nature Conservation Strategy implementation team is adequately resourced.

2.       Measures to address the decline of natural temperate grassland and box gum woodlands

Long term monitoring by ACT Government ecologists has identified a decline in condition of NTG and BGW. The risk of delayed Government action is that some areas of NTG and BGW may no longer meet definition for these critically endangered ecological communities at Federal and ACT levels, resulting in a loss of extent and threatening the viability of component species including threatened species.

FOG recommends the following:

A.    Additional funding for targeted weed control for areas of NTG and BGW regardless of tenure.

B.    Funding for other management measures including slashing, revegetation and biomass management. 

C.    Review of the adequacy of existing resources dedicated to grasslands and woodland management including Commonwealth offsets, nature reserves and off-reserve areas, and ensure the Office of Nature Conservation is resourced to continue monitoring and research.

Yours sincerely

SIGNED

Professor Jamie Pittock

President, Friends of Grasslands

2 March 2026