The Noxious Weeds Act 1993 (NSW) – balancing people, planet and profit?

Does the legislative system of weeds management in NSW balance the interests of people, planet and profit? Weeds pose a threat to agriculture, human health and the natural environment and therefore require management to address those threats. Such management is challenged by the need to balance the negative effects of weeds on a variety of interests with the financial costs and detrimental side-effects of the weed management itself. The central legal element of the weed management system in New South Wales is the Noxious Weeds Act 1993 (NSW). The Act cannot be considered in isolation. It must be considered in the context of the policies surrounding the Act, established by the Noxious Weeds Advisory Committee. Although the NSW weed regime acknowledges a number of interests, there is no guidance for how they are to be balanced against each other.