The Snowy Monaro Regional Council (SMRC) has announced a reduction in its budget for weed management activities on roads, reserves, and operational lands, lowering the annual spending to $540,000 for the 2024–25 financial year. This decision comes as part of broader cost-saving measures aimed at achieving financial sustainability.
PHOTO: Orange hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum) in bloom.
“Unfortunately, in the current climate it is very difficult for government agencies and landowners alike to attract funding to manage widespread weeds,” Brett Jones, SMRC’s Biosecurity Coordinator, explained.
As a result, many costs are borne directly by the Council, with the Council advising the budget cuts have necessitated reductions in services and contractor engagements, especially in areas where weeds heavily proliferate.
Council’s weed control program, primarily funded by local rates, is crucial in managing state and regional priority weeds such as orange hawkweed, parthenium weed, and gorse. While widespread weeds like serrated tussock and African lovegrass are no longer classified as priority weeds, they continue to pose challenges to local ecosystems and agriculture.
PHOTO: African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) is a perennial grassy weed native to southern Africa that dominates pastures around the world – including in the Snowy Monaro.
Council’s strategy now involves prioritising resources, “Our budget for spraying (priority) weeds is directed primarily towards protecting the region’s agricultural and environmental assets from the impact of weeds,” Mr Jones stated.
“That means, the vast majority of our weed control efforts occur in the areas to the south, east and west of Cooma, with only a skeleton budget retained for managing weeds to the north of Cooma.”
Mr Jones warns that, “In many cases Council’s weed spraying activities simply will not occur in a timeframe or to a standard that we have achieved in the past.”
Further cost-saving measures include adopting boom-spraying along road verges to control weed growth more efficiently and reduce reliance on slashing. “This practice, where appropriate, serves to both reduce vegetation height along the road verge for safety reasons and it controls a lot of the weeds that would otherwise have to be spot sprayed at greater cost,” noted Mr Jones.