Anticipating environmental law reform for Australia

Some climate change solutions are complex, and some are simple. Landscape rehydration fits in the simple category. All life needs water. Australia’s agricultural landscapes once had steady water cycles, spongy soils and creeks rich with life. Now they are desiccated and fragile, unable to withstand climate extremes. Landscape Rehydration Infrastructure repairs the water cycle and turns these landscapes around. The birds and frogs return to the wetlands, and the wider landscape swiftly regenerates and regains productive capacity. It’s extraordinary what happens when the land can once again infiltrate and store the rainfall it receives. 

The barriers to these solutions being widespread are not financial, technical or social – they are legal. We have outdated Environmental laws, unique to each state, that obstruct countless restoration projects. These laws were never designed to govern pro-active restoration, they were designed to prevent environmentally damaging development. A single national reform is the urgent, obvious solution to this legal tangle: a Code of Practice. Such an approach would bring land Restoration in line with many other sectors that are effectively governed with Codes of Practice.

As Environmental Law specialist Dr Gerry Bates summarises:

“What we need is a national approach… rather than rely on six different agencies in every state and territory to apply their own set of regulations. It’s not working. If we can encourage the federal government to come to the party on this, it will be the most important change – for the regeneration of the Australian landscape – since Federation.” (Dr Gerry Bates, ABC Landline, ‘Leaky weirs – Returning catchments to pre-European function’, 12 March 2023)

The Institute is incredibly proud to have developed a draft Code with Bates and other experts to support the reform agenda. It can be found here. We encourage all who are invested in climate change adaptation and land restoration in Australia to become familiar with it, and send a message of in principle support for the code that we will take to Australia’s Minister for the Environment. 

The Code’s release times with a significant ‘Restoration Law and Finance’ conference, which is being hosted by the Australian Centre for Climate and Environmental Law at the Sydney Law School, 7-8 December. TMI’s CEO Carolyn Hall will speak alongside many other strategic advocates who are dedicated to achieving Environmental Reform. We hope to see you there!  

DOWNLOAD THE NATIONAL CODE PROPOSAL

Proposal for a National Code of Practice for Landscape Rehydration & Restoration, Mulloon Institute, October 2023, 9.9 MB

Proposal for a National Code of Practice for Landscape Rehydration & Restoration – Executive Summary, Mulloon Institute, October 2023, 1 MB

Coming soon to a school near you: The Water Story!

In 2021, Mulloon Institute’s CEO Carolyn Hall and The Scots College’s Kym McMaster (Coordinator of Experiential Education), brainstormed how to equip primary school students with water cycle science. A true passion project began – ‘The Water Story’ – now a FREE, 94-page, comprehensive 10-week program for teachers.

DOWNLOAD a quality PDF of The Water Story here!

Email version, 16 MB

Please contact info@themullooninstitute.org for further information.

The program looks at all aspects of the water cycle that interlink soil, plant, atmosphere and climate. It also features up-to-date content about First Nations stewardship of Country, climate change and holistic approaches to agriculture.

“Growing up and working in the Australian outback in a farming family, I have first-hand understanding of our environmental responsibility to be ‘better stewards of Country’. In developing The Water Story, I drew on my many years of teaching science, geography, and agriculture across all year levels, and the incredibly rewarding role I play coordinating activities at Bannockburn, The Scots College’s rural active learning site. The Water Story is the first in a series of programs designed to embed regenerative understandings in education from Years 1 to 10”. Kym McMaster, Introduction

Kym has carefully drafted the education program to align with the Australian syllabus, while Dr Laura Fisher’s team at Mulloon has incorporated scientific fundamentals, learning activities and engaging visuals throughout.

Together they have also interwoven the wonderful story of ‘Wanda the Water Drop’ – a compelling personality brought to life by the poetry and illustrations by Susan Banki, Josh Banki and Melinda Turnbull.

“It is vital for our future that we manage every square metre of land for healthy plants and healthy soils… The Water Story provides a beautiful opportunity for students to learn how their decisions and actions are interconnected with a healthy water cycle.” Foreword, Glenn Morris, Regenerative farmer & environmentalist

The program has already been delivered by teachers at The Scots College, with great success. The TMI team take their hats off to the incredible Kym McMaster, whose passion for education is infectious and has inspired us all.

The Water Story has been co-created by the Mulloon Institute and the Scots College, with support from the Australian Government’s Citizen Science Project ‘Modelling Landscape Rehydration for Catchments, Communities and Curriculum’ and from the NSW Government’s Environmental Trust. Thanks also to Susan Banki, Josh Banki and Melinda Turnbull for their invaluable contributions.

Please help us share ‘The Water Story’ with teachers and schools around Australia!

During October 2023, Mulloon’s CEO Carolyn Hall and Vitasoy Australia’s CEO David Tyack spoke on-screen with Karen Ledbury from The Morning Show (CH7) about our evolving partnership.

Vitasoy Australia is one of our key collaborators in communicating messages of hope and inspiration to a broader audience and is our first-ever corporate sponsor. 

While Vitasoy is a household name, not many people know about their commitment to sustainability, which forms the bedrock of their work.

As part of their ‘Grow a Better World’ campaign, Vitasoy have pledged $1.25m over five years to help us rehydrate catchments around Australia.

“The Mulloon Institute’s work resonates with our values and gives us an opportunity to actively contribute to landscape restoration and environmental conservation,” says David Tyack, Vitasoy CEO.

With over half of Australian land under agriculture, farmers are a vital part of the climate change response.

By working with farmers and First Nations people to catch water and restore land, we can help heal Country and make Australia more resilient to bushfire, drought and flood. It’s all about hope and taking action!

ABC Landline recently featured the latest on Mulloon Institute’s landscape rehydration activities in Central Australia

The largest ever sustainability study of the red meat industry is underway on cattle stations and farms across the nation. ‘Food for the Future’ aims to prove that getting farming foundations right can have big gains in productivity.

The study is documenting carbon emissions management, biodiversity, natural capital and the impact of regenerative agriculture across millions of hectares of land.

Enjoy our latest news here: https://conta.cc/3Cz4wOS

The Mulloon Institute actively supports young people trying to make a difference in agriculture, both in Australia and overseas.

This May we had the pleasure of hosting members of the ‘Canberra – US Embassy Youth Council Climate Team’ along with members of the US Embassy for a tour Mulloon Creek Natural Farms.

It was through a collaboration with past ANU students who formed part of the first ‘Canberra – US Embassy Youth Council Climate Team’ that we welcomed the US State Department’s Alison Kephart (Public Affairs Section) and the US Embassy’s Agricultural Counselor Levin Flake to the farm. They were joined by Mulloon’s CEO Carolyn Hall, Board Member Kathy Kelly and new science recruit Chris Inskeep.

Led by Marina Mito, the YCC Team have pitched a project to US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. The ‘US Australia Caring for County Fellowship’ is an initiative focussed on sharing Indigenous land management to help young people address the problems of climate change that we face today.

Carolyn Hall provided some advice to the Youth Council members on their pitch which revolved around a cross cultural knowledge exchange between Indigenous Australians and American Youth.

We are excited to see how the inaugural Youth Council Climate Team fairs with their proposal!

In May 2023, Dr Laura Fisher (Mulloon Institute, Creative Adaption Partnerships) participated in the ‘Mycology in May Mystery Tour’ at Ferntree Gully Reserve in Rylstone, NSW with 23 eager mushroom hunters.

Ferntree Gully is a deep gorge with a very special atmosphere, and many species of fungi to be discovered. Riffing on the idea of a treasure hunt, Laura worked with local artist Leanne Thompson and the very creative Watershed Landcare coordinator Maddison O’Brien to create a series of art/science installations and happenings to deepen the group’s engagement with mycology.

The walk inspired discussions of mycelium’s role transporting water and nutrients to plant roots, and how fungal strands create scaffolding in soil pores for water to be stored. We also pondered the mysterious wet substance glomalin, which some scientists believe is a gel-like, carbon-rich substance exuded by mycelium. Loofah, copper, acorns, origami, jelly, driftwood roots and lights were all used to visualise these remarkable tiny happenings beneath our feet. The tour culminated in a human sculpture, guided by Leanne, to enact the incredible underground relationships mycelium fosters between plants and organisms.

This event was staged by Watershed Landcare, and supported by the Central Tablelands Regional Landcare Network. Dr Laura’s contribution to this event was supported by the Citizen Science grant ‘Modelling Landscape Rehydration for Catchments, Community and Curriculum’.

Read more about this event!: https://watershedlandcare.com.au/discovering-a-hidden-world/

Article: Fungi stores a third of carbon from fossil fuel emissions and could be essential to reaching net zero, new study reveals

Photos: Gus Armstrong, Laura Fisher, Maddi O’Brien.

Heading into this winter, most climate predictions show it will be dryer and warmer than normal. However there is no place for complacency when it comes to soil moisture, even when we’ve just had three years of above average rainfall. In fact, it is during these wetter times that you can be banking water in the landscape for use during the next dry spell. In 2018, after nine months of virtually no rain in the top of the Mulloon catchment, water was still trickling out of the leaky weir at Peter’s Pond on the MCNF Home Farm. That water was still there because our landscape rehydration work had banked water in the adjoining landscape which then fed the system during the dry months.

National Code

Frustratingly, I know that many more catchments could have been hydrated in readiness for the coming dry periods if on-ground landscape rehydration works hadn’t been held up by an overly complex and heavily regulated bureaucracy in all states and territories. But as with dehydrated, degraded land, we have a solution, and that solution is called a National Code of Practice for Landscape Rehydration and Regeneration.

Led by Mulloon Law Committee member Dr Gerry Bates, a National Code has been effectively drafted as a solution which could be put into practice around Australia with government support. The next step is to have Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek onboard and work with state and territory governments to implement it. That shouldn’t be too difficult, should it? We wait in anticipation.

Complying with the existing regulations around on-ground landscape rehydration works is likely the main reason why many landholders baulk at undertaking these works. It is also exacerbated by the associated costs being blown out by duplication and unnecessarily detailed studies and reports. Like the National Construction Code, a National Code of Practice for Landscape Rehydration and Regeneration would make this work more affordable and ensure a higher quality of constructed works.

Hopefully I’ll be reporting progress in this area in the next ‘Spring Resilience’!

The region had a fantastic autumn break after a dry finish to summer with above average rain falling in March and April which set up good pasture growth across the farms.

May saw a cold snap whip through the NSW Tablelands with a good 10 cm of snow turning Mulloon Creek into a winter wonderland.

Autumn has been a busy period with weaning, cattle sales, preg testing, autumn calving, biodynamic spraying, plenty of fencing and a fresh batch of chickens to the paddock.

Coming into the colder months we’ll be working hard to keep our chickens laying and maintaining plenty of feed ahead of our main cattle calving.

March saw the arrival of the Nabel team from Japan who installed and commissioned  our new state of the art egg grading machine. This highly specialised and computerised grader has the ability to process up to 30,000 eggs per hour and will wash, sanitize, grade and pack our eggs with minimal intervention.

Other major projects soon to be completed by MCNF include the installation of solar panels and battery storage that will see ‘Duralla’ become 100% off grid and well on its way to becoming carbon neutral.

Installation of our own feed mill and further developments towards producing a more sustainable and regenerative poultry feed. This will include black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) to our 100% chemical free and total natural diet. Unlike commercial feeds our poultry feed will contain no additives that poultry would not naturally consume.

Extension to our brooder shed is also nearing completion and this will allow for greater capacity into the future to meet the solid demand for Mulloon Creek eggs.

Keep an eye out for our upgraded egg cartons that uses a different colour scheme for each egg size.

As always you can stay up to date with what’s happening on the farms through our Instagram @mullooncreeknaturalfarms

CEO & Managing Director Carolyn Hall spent a great week in late May representing the Mulloon Institute at the Northern Australia Food Futures Conference in Darwin, NT.

Presented on Larrakia Country by the Northern Territory Farmers Association, it was a great opportunity to share the work that TMI’s Lance Mudgway and Erin Healy have been doing with producers in Central Australia, and what TMI’s Peter Hazell has done with Fiona McBean from Eva Valley Meats at Batchelor, south of Darwin.

It was an amazing conference with a great lineup of speakers, including Anika Molesworth, PhD whose inspiring presentation looked at the climate change actions that can be taken in the North. The AgriFutures Australia Horizon Scholarship winners were also highlighted at the conference and the future is bright is for them.

Carolyn enjoyed catching up with Fiona McBean from Eva Valley Meats where TMI are helping demonstrate landscape rehydration at Old Cameron Downs near Batchelor, NT. She also met up with Emily Hinds who helped organise TMI’s first NT workshop at Eva Valley Meats while she was working at Territory NRM. We will always be grateful for both of their support.

It was a great opportunity to make more connections in the Top End for the future expansion of landscape rehydration and repair, including:  David Gallacher (Northern Hub, Knowledge Broker), Angus Duguid (Arid Zone Research Institute, Regional Director Southern), Stu Adams and John Blanch (Agronomeye), and our partners at the Northern Drought and Innovation Hub, including Mike Clark and Charles Darwin University.

1. Message: There is a huge opportunity for agriculture in the North and its all about the people!

2. Key issues: Biosecurity, labour, remoteness, access to capital, indigenous enterprises, water and the role of Agtech.

3. Surprises: The local horticultural industry has grown immensely, which is testament to and typical of, the grit and determination of producers across the North. There is work to be done to break down the regenerative agriculture cringe by building understanding of land management that works with nature, and celebrating it.

Hats off to everyone at NT Farmers for this wonderful event, including Simone Cameron for the invitation to present on our work in the Territory.

The week was rounded off with the National Farmers Federation Towards 2030 Forum, where it is was lovely to catch up with Georgie Aley Partner at KPMG Australia who was launching the ‘Realising the Opportunity Report’ with the National Farmers’​ Federation in Darwin. This report considers and provides practical recommendations around how we can enhance and strengthen Indigenous engagement as part of the growth of Australian agriculture. Meeting Natalie Sommerville (President, Australian Women in Agriculture) was also a highlight. The future of agriculture in the North is a story of growth and collaboration.