This paper describes the current state of Australian agriculture. Key aspects covered include its role in the broader economy, trends in production, exports, the impact of non-tariff measures, biosecurity, agricultural employment, farm incomes, industry structure, climate variability impacts, productivity, the use of natural resource management practices and sequestration on agricultural land.

Despite the ongoing work by farmers to innovate their practices to produce high quality food more sustainably, the environmental impacts of agriculture are hard to ignore. This paper proposes a consumer-facing agricultural sustainability star rating system, displayed on product packaging. Designed to be credible, practical and adaptable, the system would reward sustainable farming practices while...

Australia must protect or conserve nature on an additional 60 million hectares of land over the next five years. This paper examines how tax concessions for farmers and landholders who adopt conservation covenants might influence farmers' decisions to enter conservation covenants. It shows how the complexity and uncertain benefits of this incentive are likely limiting...

This audit assessed whether disaster assistance grants for primary producers affected by 2022 flood events in New South Wales were implemented in line with the program guidelines. The report recommends enhanced risk management by lead agencies to better mitigate the risk of fraud.

This report discusses the economic mechanisms by which the hundreds of billions of dollars provided annually in agricultural support contribute to increased emissions, biodiversity loss and soil nutrient imbalances. It also highlights options for alternative support policies and presents real-world examples of improved environmental outcomes stemming from agricultural support removal or reform.