On Wednesday 1 July 2026, community-led Landcare took centre stage at Parliament House in Canberra.
Hosted by Libby Coker MP and Sam Birrell MP, Co-Convenors of the Parliamentary Friends of Landcare Group, the event brought together parliamentarians, departmental representatives, State and Territory Landcare Organisations, Landcare Australia, the National Landcare Network and Landcare leaders from across the country.
The event opened with a Welcome to Country by Auntie Karen Denny, acknowledging the Ngunnawal people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Parliament House stands.
Supported by Landcare Australia and the National Landcare Network, the event provided an important opportunity to recognise the contribution of community-led Landcare and strengthen its voice in national policy and investment discussions.
Highlight: launching the first Health of Landcare Report Card
Developed by the National Landcare Network with input from the eight State and Territory Landcare Organisations, the Report Card brings together available data to provide an initial national picture of the scale, reach and contribution of community-led Landcare.
The findings show a movement with substantial reach:
- 2,095 Landcare member groups
- 248,584 volunteers engaged
- 4,322,419 volunteer hours contributed
- an estimated $203 million in volunteer contribution
- an estimated $93 million in group funding leveraged
- an estimated 839,400 people reached through Landcare.
These figures represent far more than numbers. They reflect people contributing their time, skills and local knowledge to restore waterways and habitats, protect biodiversity, improve soil health, support sustainable agriculture, manage weeds and pests, respond to natural disasters and strengthen their communities.
Announcing the Report Card, National Landcare Network Chair Steve Bunnell described Landcare as “national in scale, local in delivery and long-term in impact”.
“Landcare is community-led, place-based and investment-ready,” Mr Bunnell said.
Making Landcare’s contribution visible
For decades, the contribution of Landcare has been visible in local landscapes and communities. It can be seen in revegetation projects, field days, citizen science, sustainable farming initiatives, pest and weed control, habitat restoration and the countless hours contributed by volunteers.
Until now, however, it has been difficult to bring this activity together into a clear and consistent national picture. The Report Card begins to address this challenge. It establishes a baseline for improving national evidence and demonstrates that Landcare is not simply a collection of individual projects. It is established community infrastructure capable of connecting local priorities with national environmental, agricultural and community objectives.
The Report Card is also the first practical output of the emerging National Landcare Impact Framework. Over time, the framework will build a more comprehensive picture of Landcare’s outcomes for landscapes, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, communities and First Nations partnerships and leadership.
This work is intended to make the value Landcare already creates more visible, while giving governments and partners greater confidence to invest in a trusted movement with deep local roots and national delivery capacity.
Working together for greater impact
The Parliamentary Friends event demonstrated the value of collaboration between community Landcare, parliamentarians, government and sector partners.
It also reinforced that moving together with First Nations peoples and organisations, creating meaningful change, must remain central to caring for Country and supporting healthy, resilient landscapes.
The National Landcare Network thanks Libby Coker MP and Sam Birrell MP for hosting the event; Landcare Australia for its partnership; and the parliamentarians, government representatives, State and Territory organisations and Landcare leaders who participated.
Most importantly, we thank the thousands of Landcare groups and volunteers whose practical work is at the heart of this national movement.
With the right support, community-led Landcare can make an even greater contribution to the environmental, agricultural and community challenges facing Australia.
Explore NLN’s reports and resources and subscribe to the National Landcare Network monthly eBulletin to gain a regular snapshot of news and events across all eight State and Territory Landcare Organisations.