Sustainability-related Regulations Database
This Sustainability-related Regulations Database (SR-Database) provides a snapshot of information on current Australian legislation and regulation relevant to the sustainability of the Australian agricultural industry.
Alignment to or compliance with ESG (environmental, social and governance) metrics is becoming mandatory for Australian businesses from July 2024 (more information).
Most Australian agricultural businesses already comply with social and governance sustainability-related expectations thanks to Australia’s strong legislative and regulatory focus on employment rights, workplace health and safety and fair market participation. Some environmental metrics are also captured in legislation such as the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
In many cases, reference to legislation and regulation (rather than production or farm data) can provide demonstration of compliance to key sustainability indicators and metrics.
The SR-database includes information on Federal and State/Territory legislation and regulation. It does not currently include local government legislation.
Disclaimer: The content on this website is provided for information purposes only. No claim is made as to the accuracy or authenticity of the content. Information, data and advice on this website is provided on the basis that site users undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content. The Australian Farm Institute does not accept any liability to any person for the information provided.
Using the SR-Database
This database uses the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF) principles to identify regulations relevant to key sustainability and ESG topics. Information can be filtered by a range of parameters, such as commodity and location applicability, and is transferable to sustainability reporting platforms.
To use this database, you can search or browse:
- Search: enter key words in the search bar at the top of the home page - e.g. water quality or animal welfare – to see relevant results.
- Browse: Click on one of the seventeen principles of the AASF image to see all entries relevant to that particular principle.
Development of the SR-Database is funded through the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry’s Traceability Uplift Grant. This project is led by the Australian Farm Institute, with support from More Than Machines and the National Farmers’ Federation as project partners.
To provide feedback on the database, please contact info@farminstitute.org.au
Development Plan
The SR Database is undergoing iterative development until July 2025. The next focus areas in the pipeline are:
- Adding additional data entries, including ACCC Code of Conducts.
- Enhancing search functionality for more accurate search results (e.g. improving commodity search).
- Reviewing and testing the data feed with third parties
- User testing and bug fixing.
- Continuous content review.