Environmental Regulation of Agriculture in Federal Systems of Government: The Case of Australia

Abstract

The regulation of environmental impacts from agriculture can take place at various scales. In some nations, with federal systems of government, the multiscale nature of regulatory interventions can be confusing for farmers, not to mention costly and time-consuming to navigate. Regulatory overlap contributes to inefficiency and wastage in governance efforts, reduced trust in government action and can preclude positive environmental outcomes across the landscape. In this article, we explore how Australia’s national-level law has been applied to agricultural land use. We canvas the concepts of regulatory complexity and ambiguity, and argue for a more integrated and flexible policy mix that rewards positive behaviour and stewardship of natural capital. This model would provide financial and other personal gains for those who can demonstrate objectives are being met. Further empirical research on fine-tuning that policy mix, again across scale, is warranted.

Impacts of Risk Perception and Environmental Regulation on Farmers’ Sustainable Behaviors of Agricultural Green Production in China

“…However, voluntary regulation has the strongest moderating effect on farmers' time risks and sustainable behaviors of the AGP. Because the government is more able to adopt contractual regulation measures by signing commitment letters with farmers to urge behavior subjects to compromise with each other and reach cooperative intentions [57,58], so as to drive other surrounding farmers to voluntarily participate in green production. Si et al (2020) [39] emphasizes the above views and believes that voluntary regulation can promote farmers to resist improper disposal behaviors and take the initiative to adopt resource disposal technologies by improving their risk cognitive level.…”

Current status of and future opportunities for digital agriculture in Australia

“…Furthermore, differences between state legislation need to be reconciled with stronger leadership from the Australian national government (a problem which plagues other sectors, e.g. environmental legislation: Hamman et al . 2021).…”

An Integrated Assessment of Different Types of Environment-Friendly Technological Progress and Their Spatial Spillover Effects in the Chinese Agriculture Sector

“…Xie et al [38] found that the spatial spillover effect of environmental regulation on the progress of environmentally friendly technology has obvious attenuation and boundedness, and its local effect exhibits a "U-shaped" trend of first inhibition and then promotion. In a study of the Australian agriculture sector, Hamman et al [39] found that the interaction of local environmental regulation policies strengthens the spatial spillover effect of environmentally friendly technology progress between regions. According to the study of Farooq et al [40], the intensity of environmental subsidies will significantly affect the technological progress effect of environmental regulation policy combinations.…”

“…(vi) Administrative Environmental Regulation (CER) refers to the normative documents formulated by the government to solve actual and potential environmental problems. Fiscal expenditures, subsidies, taxes, and investment in infrastructure construction are important means of implementing green agricultural policies which play an important role in regulating, promoting, and guiding the process of green technology [39]. Therefore, the study measured the command-type environmental regulation by the number of environmental regulation policies implemented by each province in that year [80].…”