National Statement on Climate Change and Agriculture
On 13 July 2023, agriculture ministers jointly endorsed the National Statement on Climate Change and Agriculture. The national statement demonstrates agriculture ministers’ strong commitment to work in partnership with the agriculture sector to ensure it achieves its full potential as a world-leading, climate-smart producer and exporter of food and fibre.
An Australian first, the national statement is a genuine collaboration between Commonwealth and state and territory governments and showcases the exceptional work already underway across industry.
On 27 April 2018 Agriculture Ministers requested the Agriculture Senior Officials Committee (AGSOC) prepare a paper on climate change adaptation in agriculture.
Agriculture Victoria coordinated the project and commissioned ACIL Allen Consulting to provide supporting research, analysis and stakeholder consultation. ACIL Allen produced two reports that formed part of the evidence base used by AGSOC in the development of its advice.
- Stream 1 Report provides an overview of climate change impacts on the agriculture sector and a stocktake of approaches to climate change underway in each jurisdiction.
- Stream 2 Report identifies the risks and opportunities that climate change presents to the agriculture sector. Stream 2 was informed by stakeholder consultation, involving over 160 participants from across jurisdictions.
Executive summaries and the full reports are available below. These reports present ACIL Allen's findings and were one input to the project. The observations and descriptions they contain were for discussion purposes only. They do not represent agreed government policy or indicate commitment to a course of action.
On Friday 25 October 2019, Agriculture Ministers noted advice from AGSOC on the challenges and opportunities that climate change presents for the agriculture sector and agreed there are clear opportunities for a coordinated national approach to supporting the sector adapt and manage emissions. Ministers committed to a coordinated national approach and proposed work program to support the agriculture sector adapt to climate change and manage emissions, which builds on the important work already being undertaken by industry and governments across Australia. A summary of the work program is available for download below.
The work program will support a collaborative approach between jurisdictions focused on four priorities:
- delivering information and tools for better decisions and risk management
- driving research and innovation to support adaptation and mitigation
- strengthening market opportunities and business models to build resilience
- preparing for increasing biosecurity risks as the risk of pest, disease and weed incursions change.
A Climate Change Task Group will oversee delivery of the work program and report to AGSOC and Ministers on progress.
Download
| Document | Pages | File size |
|---|---|---|
ACIL Allen Consulting Stream 1: Understanding Climate Change and Current Approaches PDF  |
214 | 8 MB |
| ACIL Allen Consulting Stream 2: Opportunities and Risks PDF |
68 | 1 MB |
ACIL Allen Consulting Stream 2: Opportunities and Risks DOCX  |
95 | 887 KB |
| ACIL Allen Consulting Stream 1 Executive Summary PDF |
9 | 341 KB |
| ACIL Allen Consulting Stream 2 Executive Summary PDF |
7 | 315 KB |
| Work program summary PDF |
1 | 58 KB |
If you have difficulty accessing these files, please visit web accessibility.
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The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry climate change and agriculture website is being updated. For more information, please contact climatepolicy@aff.gov.au