NSW Budget 2017: Local Land Services tooled up with a record $182m, 100 new staff

LOCAL Land Services, and, in turn, the state’s farmers, will chalk this up as a budget win, with the ratepayer body getting a record $182 million boost on Tuesday. 

It’s a different scenario to 12 months ago when the ratepayer body copped a $3.4 million cut, despite government urging farmers and landholders to buy into its proposed land clearing reforms. 

So on the surface, it seems a positive, with the overall boost from the 2016-17 allocation clocking in at nearly $23 million extra.  

Historic doubts over LLS’s on-the-ground capability will, most likely, see landholders approach the news with caution, especially as to what this means for the new native vegetation regime.

But The Land understands $20m will see up to 100 extra staff on board to help landholders interact with the new system, which government is still refining ahead of a go-live in August. Those people could be employed in the next two years.

The Land has been told farmers who are clear on what they want done on their property could see waiting times chopped from six months to within four weeks. 

There’s also nearly $70m extra for LLS cluster grants, as well as a $5.2m boost for LLS capital expenditure. 

Estimates papers also revealed spending on LLS last year was also higher than originally forecast – more than $20m extra, including capital grants and cluster funding. 

LLS budget allocation - 2016-17 to 2017-18 comparison

LLS actual spend in 2016-17 (past 12 months)

Previously, LLS had two people working on the old Property Vegetation Plan system in each of the 11 LLS regions (22 staff total). 

There will now be up to 70 staff in five regional teams that can be deployed across a wider area, to work more flexibly with the 11 LLS regional offices.

LLS will also have up to 30 extra staff in the policy and science, business services and operations teams.

A department spokesman said farmers who are “clear in what they need” can expect to be transitioned to the new native vegetation system in within four weeks. Previously six months, which often led to a red flag.

LLS are reportedly underway in recruiting the new teams – with 45 frontline land services officers, 15 support staff hired. Another ten are about to start.