Department changes
The government has announced changes to our department. These will come into effect 1 July 2022.
Find out more in the Administrative Arrangements Order (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website).
Our Purpose, Objectives, Priorities and Values (PDF 171 KB) sets the foundation for our strategic direction for forward years. It provides clarity on who we are, what we are here to do, and how we work together and with our stakeholders.
Our purpose
Enhancing Australia’s agriculture, environment, heritage and water resources through regulation and partnership.
Our objectives
We work across the breadth of our vast and valuable resources. On the land and water and in towns and cities. We focus on being future ready to drive outcomes for our stakeholders.
Our purpose is supported by our values and 6 objectives, or key areas of focus.
Agriculture: Assist industry to accelerate growth towards a $100 billion agricultural sector by 2030
- Our policies and services help deliver a productive, competitive and sustainable agricultural sector.
- Read more about how we support Australia’s agriculture industry.
Environment and heritage: Improve stewardship and sustainable management of Australia’s environment and unique heritage
- Find out how we regulate and enforce legislation to protect our environment.
- Read more about Australia's heritage.
Water resources: Improve the sustainable management of Australia’s water resources for agriculture, the environment and communities
- We provide national leadership in water reform.
- Read more about our water policy and resources.
Biosecurity: Work with our partners to lower biosecurity risks to Australian agriculture, the environment and our way of life
- Biosecurity is critical to preventing, responding to and recovering from pests and diseases that threaten the economy and environment.
- Find out how we manage biosecurity risks.
Antarctic: Advance Australia’s strategic, scientific and environmental interests in the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean
- Find out about Australia’s Antarctic Program.
Being future ready: Integrate new capabilities and technology-enabled delivery to meet the demands of an increasingly connected, changing and complex world
- Find out how we are preparing for the future.
Future Department Blueprint
Our Future Department Blueprint is helping us deliver on our being future ready objective. The blueprint outlines a work plan to drive change and increase our capabilities to best serve the government, communities, industries and the environment.
The blueprint outlines 21 key initiatives across 8 streams:
- regulation
- data and analytics
- policy
- science
- digital, tools and technology
- partnering and stakeholder engagement
- financial discipline and sustainability
- people, leadership and change.
Each of these streams identifies actions and priorities for us to focus on to ensure that we are future ready.
Read our Blueprint [PDF 1.3 MB] or Blueprint DOCX [3.0 MB]
Working with you
We work with our stakeholders, governments and the public to achieve our objectives.
We seek feedback through:
- public consultation
- industry forums
- consultative committees
- international delegations
- working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
Discover how you can share your ideas.
Our business
To meet our objectives, we:
- provide advice to the Australian Government
- deliver programs
- administer legislation
We are a regulator.
We enforce laws relating to:
- pest and disease risks of goods, people and vessels arriving in Australia
- agricultural goods exported from Australia
- protection of the environment and biodiversity
- use of pollutants and hazardous substances
- imported food safety
- imported wood and paper products
- import and export of wildlife
- agricultural levies
- water efficiency labelling for household and plumbing products
Read more about our responsibilities and the laws we administer.