Agriculture Victoria (AgVic) is responsible for administering the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (CaLP Act), which is the main article of legislation governing the management of invasive plants and animals in Victoria.
The CaLP Act:
- defines roles and responsibilities and regulates the management of noxious weeds and pest animals
- prohibits the movement and sale of noxious weeds of all categories anywhere in the state
- covers weed seeds occurring as contaminants in seed lots, plant products or on vehicles, machinery or animals
- regulates the importation, keeping, selling and releasing of declared pest animals
Learn more about the legal responsibilities of land owners.
Weeds are a problem on both private and public land. They cost the community millions of dollars each year in lost productivity and have a significant impact on our natural environment.
Everyone has a legal role to play in managing weeds on their land, irrespective of whether that land is public or private.
A large number of plants in the Murrindindi Shire are declared as weeds under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 and are seen as a major problem due to their ability to compete with native plants, crop plants and pasture. Some can even poison stock and humans and contaminate agricultural produce.
There are three levels of noxious weeds in our Shire; each with its own requirements for landholders:
- State prohibited weeds – Department of Environment and Primary Industries are responsible for the eradication of these weeds on all lands.
- Regionally prohibited – The relevant landowner, lessee or management authority is responsible for the eradication of these weeds except on roadsides.
- Regionally controlled – The relevant landowner, lessee or management authority is responsible for prevention of growth and spread of these weeds on their land.
Active control of declared weeds can include manual pulling, spraying, mechanical removal and livestock grazing. Another prevention strategy is to think twice about what you plant in your garden, and find out whether your garden species are invasive plants.
Weeds of the Goulburn Broken - A field guide to the terrestrial and aquatic weeds, published by Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (GBCMA), can assist with identifying weeds on your property, and understand what your legal requirements are in managing them.
Invasive Plants in your Patch(PDF, 3MB) is a great resource for identifying invasive weeds that may be growing in and around your property. You can obtain a copy of this brochure by calling Council on (03) 5772 0333.
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) also provides a range of useful information regarding weed management.
How can you help?
You can help manage the spread of weeds by controlling and/or avoiding planting invasive plants in your garden, and ensuring you dispose of waste plant material in a safe and secure manner.
When gardening, notice whether or not weed seeds are present in your garden waste. If seeds are present you can:
- drown them by placing seeds in a 44 gallon drum (creating weed tea)
- solarise them by placing them in a plastic bag and laying them in the sun
- deposit them in a designated location in your garden that you actively manage through spraying and hand-pulling
Managing weeds in your garden and/or property through appropriate and regular weed control techniques such as spraying, slashing, grazing or manual pulling is also an important eradication strategy. You can also join an environmental group to support projects that improve your local environment.
To learn more, visit our Get Involved page.
How does Council help?
Under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994, Council is required to manage regionally prohibited and controlled weeds on municipal roadsides. When considering both left-hand and right-hand sides, Council has over 2000 km of roadside reserves to control.
It would be unrealistic to expect Council to control all declared weeds on every municipal roadside within available resources, therefore we have developed a program based around priorities.
Council's Rural Roadside Weed Control Program commenced in October 2022 and continued to April 2023. The program targeted noxious weeds, including blackberry, broom, gorse and a number of other invasive and problematic weeds, along Council-managed rural roadside.
Read the Rural Roadside Weed Control Program full list of roads(PDF, 57KB).
For more information, please Council on (03) 5772 0333.
Blackberry is an invasive shrub that are a threat to agriculture due to its rapid growth and spread. Find more information on blackberry identification, growth cycle, impacts and management at Agriculture Victoria.
If you would like to speak with someone regarding blackberry management, get in touch with your local Landcare group to learn about blackberry management and coordinate activities with other landholders. Some groups also offer equipment hire.
For those living in the Strath Creek area, please visit the Strath Creek Blackberry Action Group for enquiries and property visits for site-specific advice.