Land condition assessments
As an incentive-based land management framework, the State Rural Leasehold Land Strategy promotes greater understanding and builds the capacity of a generation of land managers to adapt to future challenges and emerging issues such as climate change.
Under the agreement, land condition assessments and land management agreements are required for all State rural leasehold land leases issued for terms of 20 years or more and covering an area of 100 hectares or more. Land condition assessments form the basis for decisions about lease terms and identify issues for consideration during the development of land management agreements.
To ensure that all relevant issues are taken into consideration, Guidelines (PDF, 428K)* for assessing rural leasehold land condition were developed by the department in collaboration with specialists in rangeland management and with advice from the State Rural Leasehold Land Ministerial Advisory Committee.
The purpose of the land condition assessment is not to apportion blame for the consequences of past management practices, but to identify a benchmark 'condition' against which the effectiveness of future land improvement outcomes can be measured.
The condition assessment provides a snapshot of land condition at a point-in-time by assessing key attributes of soil, pasture, biodiversity, declared pests, riparian health, water quality, and salinity. It takes into account variations in land types, regional climatic differences.
Specialist assessment officers at locations including Cairns, Townsville, Longreach, Emerald, Roma, Charleville and Toowoomba conduct the assessments with the support of regional teams. Each assessment is conducted by two trained officers in consultation with the leaseholder.
Land condition assessments involve a pre-visit desktop investigation, including the preparation of maps and related information, as well as an onground assessment. Lease information is captured electronically for later collation into a report that forms the basis of a land management agreement for negotiation with the leaseholder.
- State Rural Leasehold Land Strategy—Guidelines for determining lease land condition (PDF, 428K)*
- Fact sheet—State Rural Leasehold Land Strategy: Land condition assessment (PDF, 100K)*
State Rural Leasehold Land Ministerial Advisory Committee
In accordance with section 394 of the Land Act 1994 and the terms of the State Rural Leasehold Land Strategy, an independent, expertise-based advisory committee was appointed in 2008 to provide scientific, technical and policy advice to the Minister on specific issues related to the management and use of rural leasehold land, and to play an advocacy role in the implementation of the State Rural Leasehold Land Strategy.
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Last updated 2 November 2012
