Best farmland would be mapped and protected
Senator Matthew Canavan, from the Nationals party, wants the best farmland kept safe from mines, energy projects, housing and foreign government buyers. The bill would rank all farmland. It would set conditions on federal money for projects that touch it.
Official name: Prime Agricultural Land Protection Bill 2026 (No. 2)
- The farm minister would map all farmland into three tiers, from the best to the poorest.
- No federal money could go to projects that make the best (Tier 1) land less useful for farming, or let foreign companies control it.
- Projects on Tier 2 land would need swap land, a bond, a public report and a 28-day window to appeal.
- Farmers forced out of their homes by funded projects would get help so they are no worse off.
- A new Agriculture Commissioner would settle disputes. The bill is still before the Senate.
Who it affects
- Farmers: Your land would be ranked in three tiers, from Tier 1, the best, to Tier 3, the poorest. Projects on good land that get federal money would have to protect its farming value and your home.
- Mining, energy and building companies: Projects on Tier 1 or Tier 2 land would face strict conditions before getting any federal money.
- Foreign-owned companies: Federal money could not help them own, lease or control Tier 1 land. To lease land means to rent it.
- Foreign governments and their companies: Federal money could not help them own or control Tier 2 land either.
- People living near projects: Anyone within 50 km could appeal a project's community report to the Agriculture Commissioner.
Farmland under pressure from projects
Senator Matthew Canavan brought this bill to the Senate on 11 March 2026. His notes on the bill say farming areas face growing pressure from other uses of land.
They name big building projects like roads and power lines, and wind and solar sites. They also name mining, new housing and money from overseas buyers. The bill aims to protect the most valuable farmland.
It works mainly through money. It does not ban any project outright. It stops the federal government from paying for projects that break its rules. These rules would win over other federal laws.
A national farmland map
The Minister for Agriculture would have to make a map of Australia's farmland. The minister would ask farming groups named in the rules for their views.
Land where farming is banned by law would be left off. The rest would be sorted into three tiers.
Tier 1 land grows, or could grow, a lot of food or fibre, such as wool or cotton. Tier 2 land could grow food or fibre but is not Tier 1. Tier 3 land is poorer land. Detailed rules written later would say just what that means.
Rules for Tier 1 land
The federal government could not give money to anyone if it would make Tier 1 land less useful for farming.
It also could not give money if that would let a foreign-owned or foreign-run company own, lease or control Tier 1 land.
The money could go to a state, a council, a business, a group or a person. The rule covers them all.
Rules for Tier 2 land
Some projects harm Tier 2 land. They could only get federal money if the builder made a binding promise. At the end of the project, the land would need to be as good or better for farming.
The builder would also have to set up swap land. That means other farmland within 25 km to make up for what was lost. Farmers pushed off their land would get first offer to farm it, on terms that leave them no worse off.
The builder would give the federal government a bond. That is money held as a promise, which is paid back if the builder keeps its word. The plan would need a review by someone outside the project. If the landowner chose to fix the land themselves, they could be paid from the bond.
No federal money could help a company owned by a foreign state, or a foreign government buyer, own or control Tier 2 land.
Say a solar farm wants federal money to build on Tier 2 cropping land. It would need to promise to return the land in good farming shape. It would need to find swap farmland nearby and put up a bond.
Protecting farmers' homes
A funded project on Tier 2 or Tier 3 land might force a farmer to leave their main home. Then the builder would have to help them move.
The farmer would have to end up no worse off. That takes into account how good the new home is and how far it is from the farm.
Community reports and appeals
Some projects on Tier 2 land might want federal money. Before the government even thought about it, the builder would publish a social licence report. Social licence means whether the local people accept a project.
The report would say how much the builder talked with locals, and for how long. It would also say how well the project follows this law. It would set out what real benefits it gives locals during and after the work.
People directly affected, or living within 50 km, would have 28 days to appeal to the Agriculture Commissioner. This new official would weigh their views and the harm to farmland. Then the official would decide if the report is good enough or must be rewritten.
The Agriculture Commissioner
The bill would create a new office called the Agriculture Commissioner. It would answer to no company or agency. The minister would choose a person through an open process that picks the best person for the job.
Each term would be up to five years, with no more than 10 years in total. The minister could only give broad orders in writing.
The official would settle fights about the farmland map, foreign control, community reports, swap land and builders' duties. The official could also write community reports and speak to MPs and the media. Each year the official would report to Parliament.
Compensation and other rules
The Constitution is Australia's founding rule book. It says the federal government must pay fair value if it takes someone's property. If this law ever did that, the government would have to pay a fair amount. If the two sides could not agree, a court would decide.
Any spending would come from money Parliament has approved. The Governor-General could make detailed rules, and so could the minister.
Those rules could not create crimes or set taxes. They could not change the law itself.
Waiting in the Senate
If passed, the law would start the day after the Governor-General signs it. The Governor-General is the King's stand-in in Australia.
Senator Canavan brought the bill to the Senate on 11 March 2026. The Senate is the second house of Parliament, which checks bills. He began the debate on its main idea the same day.
It is a bill from a single senator, which means the government did not bring it in. It is still before the Senate. It would need to pass the Senate and then the House of Representatives.
Its journey through Parliament
| 11 Mar 2026 | Senate: Introduced and read a first time |
| 11 Mar 2026 | Senate: Second reading moved |