Shire of Gingin Councillor Lincoln Stewart recently sought to move a motion with the intent of “phasing out and banning [the use] of glyphosate in the Shire of Gingin.”
Cr Stewart’s proposed motion included:
“That Council:…
3. Recognizes its duty of care to protect the community, environment, and future generations from foreseeable harm, and to reduce the Shire’s exposure to liability associated with the ongoing use of hazardous chemicals.
4. Resolves to:
a. Phase out all use of glyphosate by Shire staff, contractors and main roads within the Shire of Gingin within 6 months.
b. Trial and implement safer, environmentally friendly alternatives including steam weeding, pine oil, pelargonic acid, acetic based (vinegar) herbicides, flame weeding, and mechanical or manual control methods.
c. The shire draft a Policy: “Eliminating Glyphosate Use in the Shire of Gingin”
d. Support local landholders with education and resources to assist voluntary transition away from glyphosate use.
e. Include glyphosate-free criteria in all relevant procurement and contractor documents from January 2026 onward; and
f. Formally advocate to State Government for increased support and guidance for rural and regional local governments in reducing chemical dependencies.
g. Advocate to the Avon Midland zone and neighboring [sic] shires to collaborate a zone wide phase out of glyphosate used by all shires, contractors and Main roads within the zone within 6 months, and a total phase out and total glyphosate ban on private properties within 24 months.”
A Shire employee provided some background to the motion which included the following:
“The Shire uses glyphosate for weed control as it effectively maintains weeds in areas under our management. The APVMA, which is the national regulator for agricultural chemicals, has approved products containing glyphosate which have all been through a robust chemical assessment process and are safe for use when used as per label instructions…
Other options such as steam, smothering and organic options are not cost effective at this stage given the large areas the Shire needs to maintain. Additionally, hand removal of weeds is conducted in our flower beds which reduces the reliance on chemical use…
In summary, local governments cannot legally ban glyphosate because:
• Chemical regulation is a State and Commonwealth responsibility;
• Glyphosate remains legally approved by the APVMA;
• Local laws cannot conflict with higher legislation;
• Local governments have no enforcement or compliance powers;
• Restricting private property use exceeds jurisdiction;
• Such a ban may conflict with biosecurity and bushfire mitigation duties; and
• Legal and economic liabilities could arise.
An advocacy position can be investigated going forward…
BUDGET IMPLICATIONS
The Shire currently applies approximately 2,000 litres of glyphosate per year at an annual cost of approximately $10,000.
The preferred alternative product identified is Slayer, which contains 525g/L of nonanoic acid and requires an application rate of seven litres per 1,000 litres of water. This product is non-systemic, less effective than glyphosate, and would require approximately seven times more chemical per application, with treatments needing to be repeated two to three times more frequently to achieve similar control outcomes.
Based on current operational requirements, a single application across the Shire would require approximately 14,000 litres of Slayer at a cost of $15 per litre, totaling [sic] approximately $210,000 per application. Additional staff resources would also be required to undertake the increased frequency of treatments, further increasing operational costs.”
The motion was moved at the Council meeting on 18 November 2025, but lapsed because it was not seconded.
WAFarmers is always concerned when decision-makers seek to use blunt policy instruments to progress ideological positions, regardless of how well-meaning the intent.
We remain ever vigilant and welcome feedback from members about other over-reaching activities in government.
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