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The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has completed a review of Phase 2 of the National Landcare Program (NLP) by examining the effectiveness of the program against its intended outcomes. Phase 2 of the NLP involves a $1.1 billion investment over five years, from 2018-19 to 2022-23.

The review has been conducted in consultation with regional NRM organisations, Landcare groups, farmer groups, industry bodies, Indigenous groups and research providers.

Review findings

The findings of the review can be found in the February 2022 Review Report.

The report finds that Phase 2 has achieved positive impact at a local, and often regional, scale. Key strengths of the program that have been identified include:

• its broad focus
• the variety of delivery mechanisms and the ability of these mechanisms to get funding on the ground
• the long-term nature of its projects
• the observed shift of its monitoring and evaluation systems to include the measurement of outcomes.

The report also details the many opportunities identified by stakeholders to improve the delivery of the NLP. These include:

• greater focus on achieving impact and outcomes at larger scales
• increasing the efficiency of delivery mechanisms
• improving the systems and processes for monitoring and evaluation
• greater engagement and mobilisation of stakeholders
• greater focus on co-designing projects
• leveraging Indigenous knowledge and expertise
• more effective links with private industry and philanthropy.