The Delbessie Agreement (State Rural Leasehold Land Strategy), which came into effect in January 2008, provides a framework for the sustainable use of rural leasehold land. It guides the management of leasehold land—particularly that defined as rural leasehold land —and documents the changes and challenges to managing it.

The agreement was signed in December 2007 at Delbessie—a property north of Hughenden.

The Department of Natural Resources and Water (NRW), Agforce Queensland, and the Australian Rainforest Conservation Society collaborated in developing the agreement, taking into account the aspirations of leaseholders, conservation and Indigenous groups and rural industry.

• Delbessie Agreement (PDF, 466 kB)*
• Delbessie Agreement Summary (PDF, 150 kB)*
• Fact sheet—Delbessie Agreement (PDF, 113 kB)*

What the agreement will do

Measures in the agreement include balancing profitable use of land with maintenance of healthy land, condition; and improving land managers’ capacity to adapt to emerging issues such as climate change.

For all leaseholders, the agreement clarifies issues related to:

• the land required for the protected area estate (e.g. national parks)
• access to land
• Indigenous interests
• subdivision and amalgamation
• diversification.

It also clarifies and strengthens the State’s ability to take remedial action:

• against breaches in lease conditions and duty of care obligations
• to address land degradation which, under the Land Act, includes any of the following
  • soil erosion, salinity or scalding
  • destruction of soil structure, including, for example, the loss of fertility, organic matter or nutrients
  • decline in perennial pasture grasses, pasture composition and density
  • low ground cover
  • thickening in woody plants
  • stream bank instability and slumping
  • the presence of any declared pest
  • water logging
  • rising water tables
  • a process that results in declining water quality.

For rural leasehold landholders, measures in the agreement relate to:

• providing security of tenure (lease renewals and extensions etc.)
• clarifying duty of care
• developing land management agreements
• assessing the condition of lease land.

State rural leasehold ministerial advisory committee

An expertise-based advisory committee, to be known as the State Rural Leasehold Ministerial Advisory Committee, is being established under section 394 of the Land Act 1994 and in line with the Delbessie Agreement (State Rural Leasehold Land Strategy). The role of the committee primarily will be one of providing scientific, technical and policy advice on specific issues related to the state-wide management and use of rural leasehold land and advocating the implementation of the Delbessie Agreement. NRW is now calling for applications to fill eight positions on the committee.

An application kit (PDF, 297 kB)* is available to assist prospective applicants to apply for the positions and address selection criteria. Applications close on 29 February 2008.

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