The work of Snowy Monaro Regional Council's biosecurity team has been recognised and rewarded by the NSW Government this month, with a combined $312,250 in grant funding awarded in two allocations under the NSW Weeds Action Program for Council's work to address high-risk weed species.
Proudly funded by the NSW Government, $272,250 was granted to reimburse Council's biosecurity team for their substantial and successful efforts over the 2024/25 financial year to stop the establishment and spread of state and regional priority weeds.
Council's central role in a pioneering initiative to locate, control and eliminate incursions of orange hawkweed has secured an additional $40,000 in Weeds Action Program funding for our region. Thanks to the efforts of our biosecurity officers both out in the field and back in the office, Council will be able to continue the state priority weed surveillance program for orange hawkweed in the next financial year.
'I really want to thank the NSW Government and Local Land Services for their generous contribution to help us protect the Snowy Monaro's farmers and local environment from these serious biosecurity threats,' said Mayor Chris Hanna.
'With councils across the country having to tighten their belts in difficult economic times, our biosecurity team's efforts to seek out these sorts of funding opportunities, build a successful application, and back it all up with work in the field makes a massive difference to local biosecurity and weed control efforts.'
'With the awarding of these two Weeds Action Program grants, the NSW Government is acknowledging just how successful Council's biosecurity team has been in delivering real results for our community. If we didn't have the incredible track record they've given us, the state would not be giving us this funding. It's as simple and as significant as that,' said Mayor Hanna.
The NSW Weeds Action Program was established by the state government to fund local authorities to protect their regions against emerging and particular dangerous weed incursions, prevent the spread of state and regional priority weeds, and to make sure that at a state level, NSW is able to manage these priority biosecurity hazards.
Council competes for funding in our wider region against nearly a dozen other authorities who all face similar weed threats. The strength and consistency of Council's work in this area over many years ensures that our region gets the funding it needs for this critical part of Council's work.
