Work Guide No. 13

A footprint to environmental sustainability
DEVELOP WORKPLACE POLICY AND

PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY
AHCWRK511A
Workforce Innovations Program Project 275
Materials produced by Regional Skills Training Pty Ltd

Funding provided by the DIISRTE Workforce Innovations Program
AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability
WEB
Activity I Fact I Website
CONTENTS
01
About yourself
03
02
Trouble with website links
03
03
How are these materials used
03
04
What are these learning materials about
04
05
Employability skills
05
06
Unit descriptor and how the unit applies to your workplace
05
07
Develop workplace sustainability policy
06
08
Communicate workplace sustainability policy
27
09
Implement workplace sustainability policy
34
10
Monitor and Review workplace sustainability policy implementation
38
11
Summary of key innovations/opportunities identified as a result of adopting these skills
46
12
Bibliography and source material
46
13
Being confident about your skill levels
48
14
Assessment
50
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Bridging the Gap between Chemical and Organic Food and Fibre Production.
These interactive workbooks were produced by Regional Skills Training and funded by Department of Industry,
Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education, Workforce Innovations Program and are intended for free
use to any student, RTO or school. Note that any work is copyright and should not be reproduced or copied for
commercial gain.
ABOUT YOURSELF
Please fill in your details below and save this PDF to your files.
Name
Phone
Email
TROUBLE WITH
WEBSITE LINKS
Sometimes you may click on a web link and the

site will say it is not available. Please revisit the
site when you are next working on your resource
materials as web sites are sometimes off line for
maintenance reasons.
If you are consistently unable to access a site
you are free to answer any associated workbook
activity or assessment question by searching
for and finding an alternative site that you feel is
applicable. PLEASE INCLUDE THE LINK IN YOUR
ANSWERS so we know where to look to check
your information.
HOW ARE THESE

MATERIALS USED
This workbook has a strong focus on the selfdirected application of knowledge. Completing
this workbook and all formative assessments
will thoroughly prepare you for your summative
assessment. On successful completion of
appropriate summative assessments provided by
your Registered Training Organisation (RTO), you
will achieve competency in this unit.
Please complete the

feedback form at the back of
the unit and advise us of any
links that do not work
This workbook applies

to any person working in
an Agrifood enterprise.
WHAT ARE THESE LEARNING

MATERIALS ABOUT
This workbook applies to any person working in

an Agrifood enterprise where they are required to
develop, or contribute to, sustainability policies and
procedures. The scope of the workbook includes
the following activities:
This workbook has a strong focus on the

self-directed application of knowledge with
substantial depth in the areas of:
Develop workplace sustainability policy
Environmental or sustainability legislation,

regulations and codes of practice
Communicate workplace sustainability policy

Implement workplace sustainability policy
Review workplace sustainability policy
implementation.
Best practice approaches
Equal employment opportunity, equity and

diversity principles and occupational health and
safety implications of policy being developed
Policy development processes and practices
Principles, practices and available tools and
techniques of sustainability management
relevant to the particular industry context
Quality assurance systems
Relevant organisational policies, procedures
and protocols
Relevant systems and procedures to aid in the
achievement of workplace sustainability.
The work book provides an

opportunity to develop and apply
employability skills.
EMPLOYABILITY
SKILLS
This workbook provides an opportunity to develop

and apply employability skills that are learnt
throughout work and life to your job.
The statements below list the typical employability
skills that would be applied in a situation related to
developing, implementing and reviewing sustainability
policies and procedures in Agrifood sectors.
In completing your daily work tasks, activities and
summative assessments related to this unit of
competence, you must be able to demonstrate that
you are applying the employability skills listed
below to this competency.

Communication skills
Identify and accurately report problems
Organisational skills
Teamwork skills
Technological skills
Use mathematical ideas and techniques.
UNIT DESCRIPTOR
AND HOW THE
UNIT APPLIES TO YOUR
WORKPLACE
This unit of competency covers the process of
developing workplace policy and procedures
for sustainability and describes the performance
outcomes, skills and knowledge required to
develop and implement a workplace sustainability
policy, including the modification of the policy to
suit changing circumstances.
It applies to all sectors of the Agrifood industry.
The scope of workplace sustainability policy
may include addressing sustainability initiatives
through reference to standards, guidelines and
sustainability approaches.
sustainable agriculture is about meeting the needs of

the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs
DEVELOP WORKPLACE
SUSTAINABILITY POLICY
If you are involved in an Agrifood business and you are asked to develop a sustainability policy, where would
you start? Would you understand the concept of sustainable agriculture and how it might apply to your industry
or business?
Often the best place to start is to gather information from relevant sources and develop a broad understanding of
what sustainability means to different industries. By gathering and analysing this information you can then start to
refine or drill down to what is relevant to you and then more effectively scope your sustainability policy.
Lets start this process with a broad understanding of sustainable agriculture in Australia. There are 3 main goals:
Economic sustainability
Social sustainability
Natural resource and production sustainability
Regardless of how sustainability is defined and scoped, the basic intent is the same; sustainable agriculture is
about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs. Basically, if natural resources such as soil, nutrients and water are used up at a rate faster than they are
replaced, then the farming system is unsustainable.
Throughout this workbook you will be asked to complete a number of activities to demonstrate your
understanding of the subjects being discussed. To get the most out of these activities, you need to make the
activities applicable to your business. Use the extracts/weblinks in this workbook (in this section and in the
bibliography at the end of the workbook) and other sources to assist your research. Please include reference
sources of information that you have used in your responses so that we can check these source as required.
Activity 1
Have a look at the following You Tube video of Michael Hogan of Bencubbin, Western Australia, and consider
how you would feel if you inherited a 4000 hectare property that could no longer sustain traditional cropping.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmkP7IfgLrUandfeature=channelandlist=UL
WEB
Now answer the following questions:
1) What impact did the previous generations use of industrialised agricultural practices have on this property?
2) What steps did Michael take to understand the issues and address them?
3) What do you think are the benefits of the program that Michael introduced?
So how does your product or business stack up in terms of sustainability? What lifecycle impact does your
product/business have and how do you identify and quantify these? There are a number of standards, guidelines
and approaches that you can use to answer these questions. Some of these could include:

Ecological footprinting
Energy Efficiency Opportunities Bill 2005
Global Reporting Initiative
Green office program
Green purchasing
Greenhouse Challenge Plus (Australian government initiative)
ISO 14001:1996 Environmental management systems life cycle analyses
Life cycle analyses
Product stewardship
Supply chain management
Sustainability covenants/compacts
Triple bottom line reporting
Integrated approach to sustainability which includes environmental, economic and social aspects,
or a specific approach that focuses on each aspect individually
Investigating particular business and market context of the industry/organisation
Meeting relevant laws, by laws and regulations or best practice to support compliance in environmental
performance and sustainability
Activity 2
This activity is designed to get you thinking about the impact that your business might have on environmental,
social and economic sustainability. You need to consider the full supply chain for your product/business, the key
stakeholders involved and how they do/do not contribute to sustainable practices.
Briefly describe your enterprise and your products/services.
List each step involved in the supply chain for your product/business OR attach a supply chain diagram if you have one.
Are there any significant lifecycle impacts (e.g. hot spots) that may result from your business/part of your business?
What are they and who is responsible for them (you, supplier, customer, or distributor)?
Now list the key stakeholders involved in your supply chain and identify how they might assist you to resolve
some of these hot spots. For example, your supplier might assist you by providing local products that have a low
carbon footprint.
Now lets consider some other sources of information that

are relevant to the development of a sustainability policy
such as legislative/regulatory bodies (e.g. government
departments, local councils, primary production
organisations).
Identifying regulatory requirements that will inform
how you develop your sustainability policy requires
some dedicated research. There may be international,
national, state and regional requirements that you may
need to consider. This can be complicated to sort
through, but once you are fully informed, you can make
the most appropriate decisions for your business.
Some examples include:
EB
W
Dairy Australia;
Regulatory Framework;
Australia; 2012.
www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Industry-overview/Foodsafety-and-regulation/Regulatory-Framework.aspx
Take some time to review this matrix of regulatory
requirements for the dairy industry. Its complex.
The Western Australian Farming for the Future

Industry Practice Baselines publication provides
an overview of legislation affecting agricultural
land management in Western Australia (as at June
2008). The legislation listed is state legislation unless
otherwise noted. Landholders may use the guide to
gain a general understanding of their legal obligations
to manage the environment and as a starting
point from which to develop a legal register for an
environmental management system. Some 40 pieces
of legislation were taken into account in the preparation
of Farming for the Future documents and these are
provided in Appendix 10 of the following document:
Department of Agriculture
and Food Western Australia;
Farming for the Future;
Western Australia; 2008;
Appendix 10, p 323.
WEB
www.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/
sust/f4findustrypracticebaselinejune09final.pdf
Some other links/extracts that identify legislative/regulatory

requirements or industry based standards are listed below.
Department of Primary
Industries Victoria;
Responsibilities of Victorian
Landholders.
WE
B
www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/aboutagriculture/legislation-regulation/legal-booklets
Environment and Resource

Management Queensland
Government; Good Quality
Agricultural Land;
Australia; 2012.
WEB
www.derm.qld.gov.au/land/planning/agricultural.html
Australian Government;
Legislation; Australia; 2010.
www.weeds.gov.au/government/legislation.html
MLA; AgriSure/LPA QA;

WE
Australia; 2012.
www.mla.com.au/Meat-safety-and-traceability/LivestockProduction-Assurance/LPA-Quality-Assurance
Biological Farmers of
Australia; Australian Certified
Organic Standard 2010:
Version 1.0; Australia; 2010.
www.bfa.com.au/IndustryResources/
BFAPublications/AustralianOrganicStandard.aspx
WEB
10
Activity 3
An important part of any sustainability policy is to commit to legislative and regulatory requirements and where
applicable, national and international standards. Within the context of your product/business conduct your own
research and identify the ones that are relevant to your business. Include a list of these below:
Applicable legislative, regulatory requirements
and national/international standards
Source
11
Consultation with key stakeholders is another important aspect of planning a sustainability policy. The following
extract provides examples of how stakeholder consultation can contribute to policy development.
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Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australian

Government; Farming for the Future Self Assessment Tool;
SAT Edition 1; Bulletin 4694 ISSN 1833-7236; 2006; p1.
www.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/fm/bulletin2006_f4f_sat.pdf
This publication is part of an ongoing consultative process to identify current recommended practices.
The process has involved producers, producer and catchment groups, industry representative bodies,
non-government organisations and various State and Commonwealth Government agencies.
The Sustainable Agricultural Practices Working Group has provided strategic guidance through the development
of the Farming for the Future initiative. This Group has been comprised of representatives from:

Department of Agriculture and Food

Department of Premier and Cabinet
Curtin University of Technology
ERA Farming Company
Natural Resource Councils of Western Australia
World Wide Fund for Nature
Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA
University of Western Australia
WA Farmers.
12
Activity 4
In activity 2 you listed the key stakeholders involved in your supply chain and identified how they might assist you to
resolve some of the identified hot spots in your enterprise (e.g. your supplier might assist you by providing local products
that have a low carbon footprint). It is time to select one of these (or use a hypothetical situation if required) and consider
how you would consult with this stakeholder and work out a means of bringing about the desired change.
Copy one of the key stakeholders from activity 2 and identify how they could assist your enterprise be more
sustainable (or insert a hypothetical example if required)
How will you consult with this stakeholder?
What are the advantages and disadvantages to the stakeholder if they agree to your request?
Advantages
Disadvantages
What response do you expect to get?
What strategies will you use to convince this stakeholder in the event that he/she responds negatively to your request?
13
It is generally accepted that the number of

sustainability strategies a producer can use, is
limited only by the producers imagination and
what can be afforded as a cost to the business.
Sustainability strategies can be targeted for all
aspects of the business but are commonly seen in
the following areas:

Marketing
Community consultation
Pest, disease and weed management
Sustainable grazing
Conservation tillage
Creating crop, livestock and landscape diversity
Nutrient management
On-Farm energy conservation
A whole-farm integrated management system.
WE
B
Include appropriate strategies in policy at

all stages of work for minimising resource
use, reducing toxic material and hazardous
chemical use, and employing life cycle
management approaches.
www.agric.wa.gov.au/PC_94270.html?s=
A new online Irrigation Calculator has been
launched to help horticulture growers and investors
make more informed crop production decisions
and improve on-farm water use efficiency.
Growers and investors can tailor their information
to their individual situation to help them maximise
their water use and minimise wastage.
Hopefully this has got you thinking about some

of the strategies you could use to improve the
sustainability of your enterprise. To add to your
arsenal of potential strategies, take some time to
have a look at the Western Australian Governments
Farming for the Future Industry Practice
Baselines document. This covers a broad range
of industries and may be a useful reference for the
development of your sustainability policy.
The following link provides an overview of the

various grazing strategies that can be used to
manage native pastures. MLA also produce a
number of publications/modules that are available
on-line to assist farmers understand the strategies
that are available.
Meat and Livestock

Australia; Grazing
Strategies; Australia; 2012.
WE
B
The following extract is an example of the

recommended baseline soil and land management
practices that beef farmers should employ to
demonstrate commitment to natural resource and
production sustainability.
Department of
Agriculture and Food
Western Australian
Government; P 229
Department of Food
and Agriculture Western
Australian Government;
New Irrigation Calculator
to Aid Horticulture Water
Use Efficiency; Australia;
11 October 2010.
www.mla.com.au/Livestock-production/Grazingand-pasture-management/Native-pasture/
Grazing-management/Grazing-strategies
This You Tube video demonstrates how the lands
capability needs to be matched to appropriate
production systems. This is an example of working
with nature to develop a sustainable farm:
WE
B
www.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/
imported_assets/content/sust/
f4findustrypracticebaselinejune09final.pdf
The Western Australian Government is assisting the

horticulture industry to minimise water wastage by
developing tools to assist producers make better
on-farm decisions.
NACC CFOC Ashley

Sutherland and Fodder
W
Shrubs, 2012.
E
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2T66gEdJL4
B
14
Farming for the Future will

recognise primary producers who
are using industry agreed practices.
Through Farming for the Future Western Australian primary producers can be recognised as operating in an
economically, environmentally and socially responsible manner. Farming for the Future will recognise primary
producers who are using industry agreed practices. They can be recognised by participating in an existing
industry assurance program, or by successfully completing a Farming for the Future Self-Assessment Tool (SAT).
Take some time to look through this SAT and see if it is of relevance to your enterprise. By working through this
assessment, you will have a good understanding of your current practices and what gaps need to be filled to
demonstrate sustainability.
Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australian

Government; Farming for the Future Self Assessment Tool;
SAT Edition 1; Bulletin 4694 ISSN 1833-7236; 2006.
www.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/fm/bulletin2006_f4f_sat.pdf
WEB
15
Activity 5
By now you have read a lot of information on sustainability and should have a good idea of how you might
improve your commitment to a sustainable business.
In the table on the following page (grey shaded columns only):
Identify the current agricultural practices that are used within your enterprise by category (i.e. economic, social
and natural resource sustainability and biosecurity).
For each practice, determine if it is sustainable.
Now having researched sustainable agricultural practices/standards/legislation, update the table on the following
page with those practices that could apply to your enterprise. List these in dot point form.
Please note, this is a list of possible practices that you may or may not implement.
16
Reference
Implement Y/N
Is there a cost? If
so, how much?
What is the key

benefit to my
enterprise?
Sustainable
Practices
Sustainable Y/N
Current Practices
Economic Sustainability
Social Sustainability
17
Reference
Implement Y/N
Is there a cost? If
so, how much?
What is the key

benefit to my
enterprise?
Sustainable
Practices
Sustainable Y/N
Current Practices
Natural Resource Sustainability
Biosecurity
18
Make recommendations for policy options based

on likely effectiveness, timeframes and cost
Now that you have researched the various strategies
and practices that you could implement to
demonstrate your commitment to sustainability, it is
now time to ask yourself the question should I do it?
What is the cost/benefit to you or your enterprise?
This question should always be considered from the
triple bottom line.
Lets look at a case study to illustrate this point.
Imagine if you were a broad acre grain producer
in a high rainfall zone with soils that became easily
waterlogged, causing crop failures or significantly
reduced yield. As a result of your research into
sustainable farming practices you identified that
raised beds could drain water and increase yield.
Problem solved! But of course its not that easy.
Knowing how to fix a problem is just part of the
equation. You need to work out how much its going to
cost to implement and what the probability of success
(translated to profit or social values) is going to be.
Only then can you work out if its an approach that is
going to work for you.
The following extract provides an overview of how
this might be determined.
Department of
Agriculture, Fisheries
and Forestry Australian
Government; Soil Health
Knowledge Bank Raised
Beds Drain Water and Boost
Profitability; pp1-3,6.
B
WE
www.soilhealthknowledge.com.au/images/
PDFfiles/shkb_case_4.pdf
An example of a budget that would help make
a decision on whether to adopt raised beds is
presented below. For this example, the following
assumptions are made:
The area to be cropped is 900 ha,
One year in four is a wet winter with
high waterlogging risk,
Following wet winters, flat land crops yield 30%

less than raised bed crops,
During normal years, flat land crops yield 5% less
than raised bed crops,
The farm operates on a three year rotation of wheat
canola barley and is currently sown to 300 ha of each,
Grain prices are wheat $200/t, canola $350/t,
barley $170/t.
The cost of using contractors to set up the system is
$205/ha.
For 900 hectares this comes to $184,500. These
setup costs will be amortised (paid back) over a 10
year period at an interest rate of 7%.
The extra costs associated with modifying machinery
are $20,000, and the cost of a design consultant is
$4000. Both are amortised over 10 years at 7%. Total
amortised costs for 900 hectares is $29,960 per year.
Allowing for a one in four year penalty from
waterlogging of 30% of crops grown on the flat, and
a 5% annual difference in favour of raised beds in the
other three years, the estimated annual return due to
raised beds is $108,300 (Table 3).
With a total extra annual return of $108,300 and total
annual amortised costs (including interest) of $29,690,
for this example the average annual net benefit from the
raised beds to the farm business is ($108,300 minus
$29,690) $78,610 or $87/ha.
So from this example, the cost/benefit of implementing
raised beds would stack up providing the assumptions
made were correct.
On a broader national scale, government departments
are looking to the potential savings that might result
from sustainable farming practices. According to the
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
(Australian Government) the net benefits to Australian
farmers treating soil sodicity and acidity, could be more
than $11 billion. This potential saving proved sufficient
to invest in a program called The Healthy Soils for
Sustainable Farms between 2005 2008. The program
invested in projects to:
Optimise farm management, meaning greater
cost-effectiveness
Add value to property through the soil resource
Benefit Australias food and fibre exports
Boost our national environmental credibility in soil
research.
http://soilhealthknowledge.com.au/
WEB
19
Activity 6
Reference
Implement Y/N
Is there a cost? If
so, how much?
What is the key

benefit to my
enterprise?
Sustainable
Practices
Sustainable Y/N
Current Practices
Now it is time to review the outcome of activity 5 and identify whether the practices nominated are ones that are
of benefit to you and your enterprise to implement. Complete the grey shaded columns.
Economic Sustainability
Social Sustainability
20
Reference
Implement Y/N
Is there a cost? If
so, how much?
What is the key

benefit to my
enterprise?
Sustainable
Practices
Sustainable Y/N
Current Practices
Natural Resource Sustainability
Biosecurity
21
Develop policy that reflects the organisations commitment to sustainability as an integral part of business
planning and as a business opportunity
Now that you have planned the development of your policy by gathering and analysing information and identifying
sustainable practices that are of benefit to you/your business, it is time to get down to the process of writing your policy.
But what is a policy exactly?
There are many definitions which you can research on-line, but for the most part a sustainability policy is:
A written document that reflects your organisations commitment to sustainability as an integral part of your business.
It is used as a guideline to influence and determine decisions, actions, and other matters to achieve rational
outcomes aligned with your organisations commitment.
It is not a law or a rule that can never be broken, but signals your intent and should assist you and your staff
make better decisions.
The best policies are simple and to the point. Often, these policies are limited to no more than one page so that
they are easy to read, understand and apply by all key stakeholders. What you include within your policy is up to
you as you are the one who best understands how it will be received/used by your target audience.
WEB
The following extract from the Government of Victoria describes the elements that might be considered within an
environmental policy.
Government of Victoria ResourceSmart;

Develop and Environmental Policy; Australia; 2012.
www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au/for_government_3598.html
An environment policy states your agencys commitment to the environment and to reducing your environmental impacts.
An environment policy will help you to:
Create a healthier, safer workplace
Improve your financial bottom line
Enhance your image in the community.
As a minimum, the policy should:
State the organisations missions and core values
Commit to:

protecting the environment

complying with relevant legislation and/or regulation
complying with relevant government policy commitments
continual improvement in environmental performance
Set a timeline for periodically reviewing environmental goals

Get sign off from your CEO, board or executive
Be made publicly available
Be included in staff and contractor inductions.
22
Other commitments may be part of the policy. For example, you may want to:
Influence key stakeholders to improve their environmental performance
Make sustainability a driving principle or value for your agency
Set targets to reduce specific environmental impacts such as energy or water consumption, waste production
or impacts on natural systems
Be leaders in the field of environmental management.
It is important to match the policy to the nature and scale of your agencys activities and its environmental
impacts. For example, think about:
How the policy fits with your mission, vision, core values and beliefs?
Coordination with other organisational policies (such as quality or occupational health and safety)
Specific local or regional conditions
Depending on the size and complexity of your operations, the policy can range from a simple statement with one
or two paragraphs to a longer document with multiple pages.
Now lets have a look at two examples of policy statements that will help illustrate these points:
1. Government of Victoria ResourceSmart; Environmental Sustainability Policy; Australia; 2012.
www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au/documents/Environmental_Sustainability_Policy_Online_Version.pdf
2. Yalumba; Yalumba and the Environment; Australia; 2011.
WEB
www.yalumba.com/policy.asp?p=194
As you read these policies, note the different styles and what each organisation has deemed important to include
in their respective policies. Consider which style you prefer and which one would be most appropriate for your
enterprise/target audience. The point here is that there is no formula that works in all situations.
23
24
YALUMBA SUSTAINABILITY POLICY

As a wine business operating in the rural environment for over 160 years The Yalumba Wine Company
understands the need to protect the fundamental elements essential to the making of quality wine: land,
air, water and energy.
Through its Commitment to Sustainable Winemaking programme Yalumba aims to identify, quantify and
address any significant lifecycle impacts that may result from the Companys business activities. The
programme shall address actual or potential impacts on the environment through continuous improvement
and environmental monitoring. By doing so, the long-term effects of these impacts on the sustainability of
the business shall also be mitigated. Significantly, the Company shall not only meet its legal obligations but
also integrate environmental considerations into pertinent business decisions in a socially responsible and
cost-effective manner. Environmental, social and economic responsibility shall become integral aspects of
normal business practice.
To achieve its commitment to sustainable grape growing, winemaking, packaging and distribution
Yalumba shall use pertinent national and/or international standards to ensure effective implementation of
management systems that protect the environment and the integrity of Yalumbas wine.
As part of Yalumbas commitment to sustainability, suppliers shall be encouraged to reduce their
environmental impacts by adopting clean technology and best practice procedures. Furthermore, the
Company shall seek to encourage its customers to dispose of product packaging in a responsible manner.
Yalumba shall also seek to establish strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders to ensure that its
commitment to sustainability addresses shared and extended responsibilities.
ROBERT HILL SMITH

Managing Director
22nd March 2011
25
Activity 7
It is now time for you to develop a sustainability policy for your enterprise. Use the material that you have
researched so far in this workbook and the results of the activities you have completed, to develop a succinct
policy of no more than 1 page.
Organisation/Name
Sustainability Policy
26
Farming for the Future will

recognise primary producers who
are using industry agreed practices.
COMMUNICATE THE WORKPLACE

Now that you have developed a workplace sustainability policy it is time to consider:

How will the policy be communicated and promoted to key stakeholders including expected outcomes?
What are the most appropriate methods of implementation?
What are the activities that will be implemented?
What are the expected outcomes of the policy?
Everyone in your organisation needs to be aware of the policy for it to work, including employees, customers and
other key stakeholders. Some ways of communicating your policy might include:

Put your policy on public display and on your website, if you have one.
Make it available to the public in hard copy if requested.
Present the policy at staff meetings.
Hang the policy in places where it will be seen:
Your front office or reception

Behind a sales counter
Meeting rooms
On the shed door
In the factory
Include the policy in workplace communications , staff/contractor induction packages.

Providing ongoing training related to policy implementation and expected outcomes.
27
When communicating your policy and convincing

people to change, you need to consider how your
target audience might react. Will they embrace it
openly or resist it? Any form of change is often met
with skepticism or resistance.
Plan for this and work out strategies that will
convince your stakeholders that it is a good idea.
Work out beforehand what it means for them and
what benefits they might get out of it. If you can
work out the benefits for your key stakeholders
you can present a win/win situation where the
change is in the interest of both parties. This makes
acceptance of the change much easier.
The following extract is an example of a farmers
experience implementing more sustainable
practices in his dairy in Katunga, Victoria:
Department of Primary
Industries Victoria; Better
Pasture, More Productivity,
and a Good Nights Sleep
A Case Study from the
Victorian Department
of Primary Industries;
Victoria; 2008.
Running his hands through lush pasture on his
400-hectare property in northern Victoria, Katunga
dairy farmer Ross Nicoll reflects on how the
implementation of a farm plan, laser levelling and
the installation of a state-of-the art irrigation system
have transformed his farming business.
With Murray Valley Irrigation District water

allocations at 43 per cent, Ross has reduced herd
numbers from 1,000 in 2007 to 700 in 2008, while
continuing to increase production per cow.
It was around six years ago that the drought
started to impact on water allocations. In addition,
the farms manually-controlled irrigation system
demanded around-the-clock attention. With a
young family of three boys, plus the challenges of
water flow management, the big dry and increasing
water and feed costs, Ross knew change was
crucial to the future sustainability of the farm.
With assistance from DPIs Environmental
Management teams and irrigation designers, Ross
developed a whole farm plan. This plan integrated
many aspects of water management and water
use efficiency, which gave him the direction and
confidence he needed to develop the property.
Development of laser grading, better designed
channels and bay outlets, in addition to the
upgrading of the recycle dam, contributed to
improved water use efficiency. A radio-controlled
water distribution system which can operate up to
24 hours a day, seven days a week completes the
farm plan objectives.
By using our water more efficiently we are
achieving best practise. We are more professional
in the way we manage the pasture and
consequently have a more productive farm with
fewer weeds and less chemical use, Ross said.
Home grown pasture is integral in driving profit
margins for the business and, in turn, high water
efficiency allows for optimal farm productivity and a
positive future.
Today, with these sound practices in place, Ross

has doubled the amount of dry feed produced per
hectare, and developed a farming system more
able to cope with drought and climate change.
Because of the improved water use-efficiency we
have increased the amount of dry feed per hectare
from an average of seven or eight tonnes to 15 or
16 tonnes, Ross said.
28
Activity 8
Imagine that you are a conventional dairy farmer set on continuing past agricultural practices and facing the
same issues as Ross Nicoll was facing. Would this case study influence you to change and if so, why?
Other than peers demonstrating successful and profitable outcomes, what other strategies could be used to
motivate farmers to implement more sustainable practices?
29
Having formulated a sustainability policy you

need to consider how best to approach its
implementation. Will you implement in one big
bang or will you take a more evolutionary approach
and implement over time, in discreet stages. You
also need to consider the issues and constraints
that affect your business, for example:
How much change can your business accept?
What resources do you have available (people,
equipment, money)?
Do you have the skills/experience or do you
need to bring in expertise/attend training?
Are there any time constraints within which you
must work e.g. dont make substantial changes
during busy periods?
Are there any environmental constraints
(seasonal variations) within which you must work?
Planning a staged approach to implementation
allows you to:
Break the implementation down into bite size
chunks or stages. For each stage:
Itemise the resources required (people,
equipment, tools, training, machinery, expertise,
modifications to equipment etc.).
Cost each item.
Confirm resource availability or when the
resource will be available (lead time).
Identify potential benefits. Where possible,
provide a potential cost saving for the benefit
(e.g. avoided costs, increased production/profit).
Determine the tasks to be completed, who
will complete the task, duration of each task
and any dependencies between tasks.
Prepare an implementation plan based on
the above to determine the overall duration of
the stage.
Stage 1 In response to participation in Western

Flower Thrips industry workshops in 2001-02 the
grower made the following changes:
1. Improved his greenhouse structure by increasing
height and adding roof ventilation
2. Improved farm hygiene program by clearing
weeds early and removing Tomato Spotted Wilt
Virus infected plants from the crop. Kept his plants
generally healthy
3. Began using yellow sticky traps before planting,
and routine crop scouting as a basis to spray
decisions.
Results
From the beginning there were very few thrips
on the sticky traps, although outdoor numbers
of Western Flower Thrips were very high in some
areas. The grower decided he could withhold
pesticides until early December when white fly
became a problem. This meant that he was able
to withhold all pesticide applications for 5 months
during spring and summer. Only 2 or 3 subsequent
applications of Lannate were needed over the life
of the crop for whitefly control.
This is a major achievement at Virginia! Even
1-2 months of pesticide reduction is a major step
forward in an area where most growers spray
regularly, even weekly. Only four plants were infected
with Virus and the grower saved a lot of time and
money by not using insecticides for so long.
Assess the costs and benefits of each stage

and determine which ones will give you the
most bang for your buck.
Implement the stages in a logical sequence so
that you are gradually building your skills and
capabilities.
Monitor progress and decide whether the
program is working and fine tune along the way.
Before completing the next activity, take some time
to review the following extract which explains how
this producer staged the implementation of an
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.
30
Stage 2 Further changes in technology and

practices were initiated by the grower in 2003-04
and assisted by SARDI staff and a horticultural
consultant.
1. Shade-cloth was replaced with Anti-Virus mesh
2. Pest control trials using beneficial insects were
conducted in a tomato crop
Fine Anti-Virus mesh was fitted to the sides
and roof vents (as with the Azrom demonstration
greenhouse) to restrict entry of flying insects.
A tomato crop planted at the end of January was
monitored using 6 yellow sticky traps at the four
corners of the crop and two in the middle. These
were changed weekly and checked for thrips by
SARDI entomologists. The grower conducted his
own routine checks in his crop for whitefly levels
and Virus infected plants.
A range of beneficial insects were used:
Encarsia formosa for whitefly control released
weekly at 1/m2 from week 3
Typhlodromips montdorensis mites for Western
Flower Thrips in three doses of 10/m2 from
week 3 at two week intervals
Hypoaspis (soil) mites to help with control of
thrips pupae and fungus gnats were released in
three doses over 3 weeks.
Tomato leaves were inspected several times after
week 6 to look for predatory mites without success.
Lower tomato leaves were inspected regularly
for whitefly pupae and evidence of parasitism by
encarsia. No additional pest control was found to
be needed for mites (TSM), aphids etc.
Results
Overall the grower was very happy with the results
of changes to his greenhouse design and crop
scouting for summer control of thrips, TSWV and
whitefly in tomatoes, but not in cucumbers. He
wants to continue with IPM in these crops by
working out how to overcome ventilation problems
when using fine mesh, and would be willing to try
beneficial insects again.
As you can see there are costs and benefits and
they dont always stack up. The staged approach to
implementation has enabled this producer to make
objective decisions about the success of the IPM
and whether to invest further or make modifications
to the program.
South Australian
Research and Development
Corporation; Case 4;
National IPM Newsletter
Issue 01; P12.
www.sardi.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_
file/0004/93631/IPM_Case_histories_-1.pdf
WEB
31
Activity 9
What are the benefits of this staged approach?
What are the disadvantages of this staged approach?
32
Activity 10
Now consider your workplace sustainability policy and identify your approach to implementation and why you
have chosen this approach:
Now select one sustainable practice that you will implement and prepare a project plan which includes:

tasks to be completed (in sequence)

who is responsible
resources required
duration (e.g. 5 days)
start and end dates
dependencies (e.g. existing equipment must be modified).
Task
Who will
Perform Task
Resources
Required
Duration
Start and End

Date
Dependencies
33
Dairy Australia has created a very useful tool to

support the development of a simple set of operating
procedures to help farmers get started.
IMPLEMENT
WORKPLACE
Now that you have developed and communicated
your sustainability policy and prepared a plan
for its implementation, you can now commence
implementation.
The sustainable practices that you are about to
introduce should be clearly documented in the
form of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). If
you already have a SOP manual, then you need to
review and update it to reflect the commitment to
sustainability that you have made in your policy.
If you do not have an SOP manual, creating one
from scratch can be quite daunting as most owner/
operators start with the information in their heads.
Each farm will have its own way of doing things,
partly because of the infrastructure and partly
because of the management.
Many industry based organisations and QA
organisations (e.g. APIQ, MLA, Dairy Australia
etc.) may be able to provide you with SOPs but no
existing system will fit all circumstances. The skill
is to refine the SOPs that you are provided with
to specifically suit your production system and
business whilst still achieving compliance with your
sustainability policy.
Dairy Australia has created a very useful tool

to support the development of a simple set of
operating procedures to help farmers get started.
It is useful to look at this tool as well as using
search engines to find other SOP templates.
Remember that there are two key criteria that must
be met in developing your SOP manual:
Each SOP must be applicable to your business
and in a format that will allow:
ease of use and
documentation.
Each relevant SOP must allow for you to meet:
the commitments you have made in your
sustainability policy, including
legislative and regulatory requirements.
Take some time to look at this Generator tool from
Dairy Australia
Dairy Australia; Farm

Standard Operating
Procedures Australia; 2012.
www.thepeopleindairy.org.au/farm-policiessystems/farm-standard-operating-procedures.htm
WEB
34
The (SOPs) are descriptions of the way particular

tasks should be carried out on the farm. They help
ensure that everything that needs to be done gets
done for example, correct hygiene procedures
during milking to minimise mastitis. Using standard
operating procedures is also the way to get
consistency when different people are doing the
same job.
There is no set way that each process must be
carried out across the industry but the Generator
tool allows you to create a simple Word document
with a set of generic operating procedures
(including safety procedures) to use as a starting
point under the farm management system areas:

milk harvesting
animal husbandry
feed management and delivery
pasture production and cropping
plant equipment and infrastructure maintenance
administration.
Once the tool has been downloaded and installed

onto your computer you can use it as often as
you like. The documents you can create with the
Generator are:
Position descriptions for the people working on
your farm
Standard operating procedures for a particular
person, task or the entire farm
Safety procedures for a particular person, task
or the entire farm
Safety protocols related to safety procedures.
The MLA publishes a number of manuals that may
also be of use when developing SOPs in the beef
industry:
MLA; More Beef From

Pastures; Australia; 2012.
www.mla.com.au/Research-and-development/
Extension-and-training/More-Beef-from-Pastures
WEB
35
Activity 11
You are required to complete the following activity

related to standard operating procedures for your
business.
Write 4 complete SOPs that are applicable to your
business and will be used to demonstrate your
sustainability policy in action.
You can use existing templates or ones that you have
downloaded but they must be contextualised to your
business systems.
Attach each completed SOP to this interactive
document and submit to your lecturer.
Once you have developed these procedures
they must be communicated to staff. Where such
procedures require significant change, it will not be
possible to implement these successfully without
providing staff training.
In some cases the training may be legislated (e.g.
related to chemical accreditation or licensing for
machinery operation) and in other cases the training will
be specifically related to the required changes in the
workplace to ensure sustainability is achieved.
Successful training will involve the strategic use of
techniques, tools, activities and actions to engender
change in target groups (e.g. staff). The capacity of
business managers to achieve practice change is
determined by the knowledge and confidence gained
by staff in the training process.
Training courses can be developed in house
or provided externally (e.g. accredited training
organisations, grower groups or industry bodies).
This is an example of what the MLA can offer beef
producers:
WEB
Meat and Livestock

Australia; Environmental
Management; Australia; 2012.
www.mla.com.au/Livestock-production/
Environmental-management
Protecting the environment for future generations
is a key responsibility for livestock producers and
a vital part of ensuring the ongoing sustainability of
individual businesses and the red meat industry.
Australian red meat producers have primary

responsibility for stewardship of approximately 50% of
Australias land area. Australian livestock production
systems are among the most efficient and sustainable
in the world, with much of the production based on
natural pasture systems on about 3.6 million square
kilometres or 46% of Australias land area (BRS 200506 data for land use in Australia).
The red meat industry operates on a principle
of continuous improvement in triple bottom line
performance and is always looking for ways to
improve environmental sustainability. MLA has
invested $7.5 million in research and development
projects to address a range of issues relating
to environmental sustainability. These activities
will help producers meet the challenges of an
increasingly demanding regulatory environment
and growing consumer expectations.
Biodiversity
In response to the potential impacts of livestock
production on biodiversity, MLA has developed a
number of training and education initiatives, codes
of practice and monitoring guidelines that enable
producers to adopt management practices that
help protect the diverse ecosystems on-farm while
maintaining an efficient and economically viable
business.
Climate change and climate variability
MLA is assisting red meat producers with practical
strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
adapt to long-term climate change and manage
seasonal climate variability through research and
development initiatives. MLA also produces a
range of practical resources, tools and fact sheets
that explain these complex issues and help red
meat producers manage change.
Environmental stewardship
Red meat producers are stewards of the land and
the environment and make a critical contribution
to managing Australias natural resources. MLA
is developing an environmental stewardship
module that can be linked to the on-farm business
management program AgriSure. This voluntary
program will be available to producers who wish to
actively demonstrate the environmentally responsible
nature of their livestock production systems.
36
Activity 12
In previous activities you have selected sustainable procedures that are applicable and useful to your business.
Complete the table below identifying the training needs for your workplace to implement and maintain your
sustainability outcomes.

Who is the person

needing training?
What training do they

need?
What role will they participate in when

they have completed training?
37
10
Dairy Australia; Soils

Nutrients and Effluent.
MONITOR
AND REVIEW WORKPLACE
IMPLEMENTATION
www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Animals-feed-andenvironment/Environment/Soils-nutrients-andeffluent.aspx
WEB
Better fertiliser decisions database
Now lets assume that you have implemented your

sustainability program. What now?
Can you take the approach of set and forget?
To some extent, sustainability programs are in a
constant state of implementation. Practices need
to be constantly monitored and reviewed to ensure
that the program is meeting your objectives.
Remember too that new ideas and technologies are
constantly emerging that may be of benefit to your
enterprise. Producers need to stay on top of new
developments and determine if there is a better
practice that can be adopted.
This is a cycle of continuous improvement.
Monitoring is the regular gathering and analysis of
information needed for your day-to-day management,
to ensure a system is being implemented and
expected outcomes/objectives are being achieved.
Without good record keeping and monitoring, it is
difficult for a business to accurately determine if
system requirements are being met. This is especially
important when there are multiple participants/staff.
Monitoring needs to be based on a realistic but
effective system suited to your business needs.
Firstly you must be clear about:
What it is you are monitoring.
The decisions you want to be able to make
using the monitoring results.
The information you need to collect to make
these decisions.
Then you need a system that enables you to:
collect the information easily that you need
use it to make decisions.
You must also decide if:
you will manage all of this yourself, include
staff, or use a consultant.
The following extract provides an example of tools
developed for the dairy industry, how they can be
used to demonstrate outcomes and inform whether
further improvements are required.
WEB
This tool was designed for farmers to use in

consultation with their farm adviser, fertiliser
consultant and catchment manager. It enables
farm managers to plot on a curve the increase in
pasture growth for a given application of nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium or sulphur, depending on
their soil type.
Fertiliser recommendations based on the database
can save farmers thousands of dollars a year in
fertiliser application.
The following You Tube video demonstrates how
Keith Tunney from Western Australia monitors the
effectiveness of his perennial pasture program
via observations and annual soil tests. Having
completed an annual soil test for the past 13 years,
Keith can identify and analyse trends and confirm
whether his program is delivering improvements
over time (e.g. soil carbon improvements).
NACC CFOC Sustainable

Farming with Perennial
Pastures 5
www.youtube.com/watch?v=flev6ynXPn4
Good monitoring information can be used for
purposes such as:
Improving property level management,
planning and long term sustainability
Implementing environmental and farm
management systems
Monitoring progress of agreed actions
Supporting the activities of local landcare
groups, catchment groups or regional natural
resource management bodies.
38
Industry bodies, government departments are investing in the

development of recording and monitoring systems to assist
producers demonstrate compliance with sustainable practices.
Industry bodies, government departments and

other groups are investing in the development
of recording and monitoring systems to assist
producers demonstrate compliance with
sustainable practices. The following extracts
provide examples of these:
Extract 1: This webpage contains hyperlinks to
a vast range of sustainability indicators, data
collection templates, decision support tools (see
below as an example of indicators available). The
use of key performance indicators (KPIs) is a useful
tool for monitoring and reporting.
Environment and
Resource Management
Queensland Government;
Land Managers Monitoring
Guide; Australia; 2012.
Active links provide land managers with information

about how to monitor the resource condition and
trend of the particular attribute, and how their
management actions influence it. Use of the
indicators also enables land managers to reliably
communicate what is happening on their property.
About indicators explains how the indicators in
the guide are structured. Indicator descriptions
provides a definition of each indicator.
Indicators are included that apply to:

ground cover
gully erosion
hill slope erosion
plant available water content
saline land
soil chemistry
soil erosion
soil infiltration
soil life
soil pH
soil salinity
soil structure
wind erosion.
www.derm.qld.gov.au/monitoring_guide/index.
html
WEB
39
Activity 13
In previous activities you have selected sustainable procedures that are applicable and useful to your business.
Consider how you will monitor, record and report the outcomes of these activities to demonstrate whether they are
working for you as you had intended. Complete the following table (grey shaded columns only) with responses to
the following:
1) The key performance indicators (KPI) that you will use to measure the success or otherwise of your
sustainability policy and procedures (e.g. soil pH of >6 )
2) How will you monitor progress against this indicator (e.g. annual soil test)
3) How you will record progress against this indicator (e.g. enter results into EXCEL spreadsheet
each year and identify trends)
KPI
How will you monitor the How will progress be

KPI?
recorded?
How will outcomes be

reported to key stakeholders?
40
Document outcomes, provide feedback to

key personnel and stakeholders and modify
policies and procedures as required ensuring
improvements are made
Slater Farms; Rainfed

Rice; Australia; 2012.
Once outcomes have been assessed, you need to

provide feedback to key personnel (e.g. staff) and
stakeholders (e.g. customers). How you do this
will depend on the complexity of your operation,
the tools you have available to you and the cost/
benefit of promoting outcomes. Outcomes may be
communicated:
www.rainfedrice.com.au/
Informally, for example, having a simple chat

with your customers
Both labels are used to certify high quality

nutritional food produced by organic and biodynamic agriculture.
Formally, via annual reports, web page

updates, staff meetings.
The following extract is an example of a producer
promoting product sustainability via the web. Note
how this technique also provides an opportunity to
educate consumers about product differentiators
that result from sustainable farming practices.
WEB
Slater Farm:
Demeter Certified Biodynamic Bio-dynamic
Demeter farming has developed to be one of
the most sustainable and successful forms of
organic agriculture practiced across the world.
Tasty and nutritious, RAINFED RICE is probably

the most sustainable rice grown in Australia.
No irrigation water is needed to grow this rice
which means Australias critical water resources
are not drawn upon.
Irrigated rice-paddy rice fields produce enough
methane emissions to be a major source of
atmospheric concern. Methane is twenty times
more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2.
41
Activity 14
It is now time to review your response to activity 11 and update the table (grey shaded column only) with how you
will report outcomes to your key stakeholders.
KPI
How will you monitor the How will progress be

KPI?
recorded?
How will outcomes be

reported to key stakeholders?
42
Whilst many producers may feel uncomfortable

providing negative feedback, the fact is that doing
nothing is the worst possible outcome.
Of course monitoring outcomes may not always

lead to positive feedback. Often deficiencies or
gaps in the system are identified.
Whilst many producers may feel uncomfortable
providing negative feedback, the fact is that
doing nothing is the worst possible outcome.
Deficiencies and gaps should be seen in a positive
light as actions can be taken to resolve the issues
or prevent further damage occurring.
In this way, producers can be proud of identifying a
problem and taking proactive steps to remedy the
situation.
For example, Dairy Australia has identified that
there is growing pressure from customers (e.g.
retailers) to report on the sustainability of products
and supply chains and that some dairy farmers are
experiencing pressure from the community on the
environmental impacts of dairy farms.
A gap has been identified The industry does not
currently have an evidence-based environmental
reporting system to support its claim that it is a
responsible user of resources at the pre-farm gate
level.
Dairy Australia;
Pre-farmgate
sustainability reporting;
Australia; 2012.
www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Levy-investment/
Natural-resource-management/Measurement/
Performance-indicators/Pre-farmgatesustainability-reporting.aspx
WEB
Project scope: Undertake stakeholder analysis

to determine relevant pre-farmgate sustainability
indicators, aiding the development of an industry
pre-farmgate sustainability reporting framework.
Outcomes/benefits: The key outcome for this
project is industry endorsement for a common
pre-farmgate sustainability reporting framework.
Sustainability is a growing concern for consumers
and regulators, and therefore has the capacity to
impact on farm production processes.
To fill this gap, Dairy Australia is developing a prefarmgate sustainability reporting framework.
43
Activity 15
In this final activity for this workbook you are required to identify the deficiencies or gaps in your sustainability
system. List each deficiency/gap. Suggest how the issue can be improved and how you will communicate the
improvement to family, staff and community.

Deficiency or
gap
How will the deficiency

or gap be addressed?
How will the improvement

be communicated to family/
staff?
How will the improvement

be communicated to the
community?
44
11
SUMMARY OF KEY
INNOVATIONS/OPPORTUNITIES IDENTIFIED AS A RESULT
OF ADOPTING THESE SKILLS
The adoption of new opportunities and key innovations should always be considered from the perspective
of the triple bottom line. However each producer will need to determine:
What are the most important aspects of each opportunity and innovation?
How can a new innovation or opportunity be sustainably applied to your business or production system?
The summary below is provided as a list of suggestions. It is by no means complete.
It is also unrealistic to assume any single business can adopt every opportunity.

Minimise environmental liabilities

Maximise the efficient use of resources
Reduce waste
Demonstrate a good corporate image
Build awareness of environmental concern among key stakeholders (including employees,
contractors, supply chain participants, customers)
Gain a better understanding of the environmental impacts of business activities
Increase profit, improving environmental performance, through more efficient operations
Meet regulatory requirements, and keep ahead of more stringent regulations which might be introduced in the future
Increase potential to respond to market access issues
Improve community perceptions of farming
Adapt management processes to build on and streamline a range of complementary processes
(e.g. property management planning, quality assurance, best management practice)
Improve business efficiency.
45
12
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCE MATERIAL
Organisation
Standard/Legislation
Contact Details
Web Site
Reason for Inclusion
Australian Academy of Science
Reference materials
www.science.org.au/
contacts.html
www.science.org.au/
nova/071/071key.htm
Feeding the future sustainable

agriculture.
Key texts links to texts for further
reading.
Hyperlinks to studies encompassing
sustainable agriculture.
Australian Pork
Codes of Practice
www.australianpork.com.
au/pages/page13.asp
www.australianpork.com.
au/pages/page76.asp
Strategies, policies, codes of

practice relevant to environment,
natural resource management and
climate change for the Australian
pork industry.
Clean Energy
Future Australian
Government
Carbon Farming Futures

Program
www.cleanenergyfuture.
gov.au/contact-us/
www.cleanenergyfuture.
gov.au/creating-opportunities-for-farmers-andland-managers/
The Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI)

is a carbon offsets scheme that will
provide new economic opportunities for farmers, forest growers and
land managers while also helping the environment by reducing
carbon pollution. Farmers and land
managers will be able to generate
credits that can then be sold to
other businesses wanting to offset
their own carbon pollution.
Department
of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry Australian
Government
Soil Health Knowledge

Bank
www.soilhealthknowledge.com.au/index.
php?option=com_conte
nt&view=article&id=2&I
temid=4
www.soilhealthknowledge.
com.au/
Soil health knowledge bank provides a range of resources to assist

farmers develop sustainable soil
management policies, procedures
and monitoring systems.
Carbon Farming Initiative
This site has been developed for

farmers and the wider industry to
provide an overview of current soil
health knowledge and tools to assess soil condition providing information on soil properties, processes
and management for profit across a
range of industries and regions.
Western Australia
Farming for the Future

Strategy
www.agric.wa.gov.
au/CONTACT.
html?s=1067137986
www.agric.wa.gov.au/
Dairy Australia
Codes of Practice
www.dairyaustralia.com.
au/Standard-Items/Contact-Us-Content.aspx
www.dairyaustralia.com.
au
Sustainability policies and practices

relevant to the dairy industry.
Department of
Primary Industries
Victoria
Future Farming Strategy
For more information

about DPI visit www.dpi.
vic.gov.au or call the
Customer Service Centre
on 136 186
www.dpi.vic.gov.au/
agriculture
Fact sheets
Environment and
Resource Management Queensland Government
Land Managers Monitoring Guide
www.derm.qld.gov.au/
contactus/index.html
www.derm.qld.gov.au/
monitoring_guide/index.
html
Codes of Practice
Full strategy available for download

(PDF file).
Also includes self-assessment tools
and links to best practice procedures.
Decision support tools

How to write and EMS.
The Land Managers Monitoring Guide (LMMG) provides land
managers with a suite of natural
resource monitoring information
to assist them with monitoring and
demonstrating the results of more
sustainable management
46
Organisation
Standard/Legislation
Contact Details
Web Site
Reason for Inclusion
Kondinin Group
Factsheets
www.kondiningroup.
com.au/static.
ASP?t=1&I=0
www.kondiningroup.com.
au/static.ASP?t=2&I=19
The Small Landholder Information

Service (SLIS) has teamed up with
Kondinin Group to deliver a series
of technical notes on running a
small farm, or property. This series
of Noteworthy fact sheets provide
practical information from the
WA to help small landholders make
better choices.
Meat and Livestock Australia

MLA
Codes of Practice
www.mla.com.au/General/Contact
www.mla.com.au/aboutthe-red-meat-industry/
about-mla/company-overview/evaluation/ensuringsustainability
This webpage includes progress

reports for the MLA sustainability
policy.
Primary Industries
and Regions South
Australia (PIRSA)
South Australian
Government
SA Environmental Legislation
www.pir.sa.gov.au/pirsa/
contact_us
www.pir.sa.gov.au/pirsa/
nrm
PIRSAs role in Natural Resource

Management (NRM)
AgriSure Quality Assurance
PIRSA is committed to a number of

priority areas in sustainable primary
industries.
PIRSAs Agriculture, Food and Wine
Division develops and implements
policies, legislation, regulatory frameworks and programs to
promote an optimal business and
a natural and social environment
within which primary industries can
grow.
This website contains useful
resources/links relative to sustainable agriculture polices, legislation,
decision support tools etc.
Victorian Government ResourceSmart
www.resourcesmart.vic.
gov.au/contactUs.aspx
www.resourcesmart.vic.
gov.au/aboutRs.html
A website designed for Victorians

who want to take the hard work out
of shrinking their impact on the environment. Among the range of solutions, ideas and advice on the site,
youll find information on rebates for
energy and water-saving devices,
how and where to recycle things
you thought couldnt be, and useful
tools that will help you learn how to
reduce greenhouse gas pollution.
Whether youre a householder, an
educator, in business or in government, Resource Smart is the place
where youll find the sustainability
answers youre looking for.
47
13
BEING CONFIDENT ABOUT YOUR SKILL LEVELS
Before commencing on your summative assessment take a few minutes to review this workbook and ensure you
feel that you are confident about your skill levels related to this topic.
Use the table below to help you check your skills. Before commencing your final assessments it is important to
review any sections in which you feel unsure. Remember: it is always OK to ask your assessor/lecturer questions.
In the table below, read the list of skills and knowledge you should have after completing this workbook.
1. Put a tick in the column if you can do this now and a brief comment re why you believe you have this skill.
2. Put a tick in the next column if you feel you need more practice and must review the work before completing
final assessments also a brief comment as to why.
Yes
Skills/knowledge you should have
Need
Practice
3. If you require further training, complete the third column listing what training is needed. Show this list to your
supervisor or assessor and ask for more time or training before completing the summative assessments.
Comment on why
What additional
training do I need
Communication skills to adjust

communication to suit different
audiences; to respond effectively to
diversity; to work as a member of a
team to consult on and validate policy
Literacy skills to read and evaluate
complex and formal documents such
as policy and legislation
Problem skills to effectively manage
different points of view and dissenting
stakeholders
Research, analytical and writing skills
to research, analyse and present
information; to prepare written reports
requiring precision of expression and
language and structures suited to the
intended audience
Use literacy skills to fulfill job roles
as required by the organisation. The
level of skill may range from reading
and understanding documentation to
completion of written reports
Use oral communication skills/language
competence to fulfill the job role as
specified by the organisation including
questioning, active listening, asking for
clarification, negotiating solutions and
responding to a range of views
48
Need
Practice
Comment on why
Yes
Skills/knowledge you should have
What additional
training do I need
Use numeracy skills to estimate,

calculate and record complex
workplace measures
Use interpersonal skills to work with
others and relate to people from a
range of cultural, social and religious
backgrounds and with a range of
physical and mental abilities
Best practice approaches relevant to
own work area
Environmental or sustainability
legislation, regulations and codes of
practice applicable to industry and
organisation
Equal employment opportunity,
equity and diversity principles and
occupational health and safety
implications of policy being developed
Policy development processes and
practices
Principles, practices and available
tools and techniques of sustainability
management relevant to the particular
industry context
Quality assurance systems relevant to
own organisation
Relevant industry competency
Relevant organisational policies,
procedures and protocols
Relevant systems and procedures to
aid in the achievement of workplace
sustainability

49
14
ASSESSMENT
You have now reached the end of this workbook. All of the information and activities you have covered have
developed your skills to competently develop workplace policy and procedures for sustainability.
Your competency may be assessed through your successful completion of all formative activities throughout
this workbook. Alternatively, your RTO may require completion of a final summative assessment. You will need to
discuss this with your RTO.
FEEDBACK
This workbook has been developed to guide users to access current information related to gaining skills appropriate
to their workplace. Please complete the following table notifying us of any errors or suggested improvements.
Subject Name
Book Number
Page
What is the error
Suggested improvement
10
You Tube video is not accurate
Better websites / You Tube example
Is there a link to your suggested improvement
Additional comments
Click here to email your feedback form to RST
50

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A footprint to environmental sustainability

DEVELOP WORKPLACE POLICY AND

Materials produced by Regional Skills Training Pty Ltd

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

Trouble with website links

How are these materials used

What are these learning materials about

Unit descriptor and how the unit applies to your workplace

Develop workplace sustainability policy

Communicate workplace sustainability policy

Implement workplace sustainability policy

Monitor and Review workplace sustainability policy implementation

Summary of key innovations/opportunities identified as a result of adopting these skills

Bibliography and source material

Being confident about your skill levels

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

Sometimes you may click on a web link and the

HOW ARE THESE

Please complete the

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

This workbook applies

WHAT ARE THESE LEARNING

This workbook applies to any person working in

This workbook has a strong focus on the

Develop workplace sustainability policy

Environmental or sustainability legislation,

Communicate workplace sustainability policy

Best practice approaches

Equal employment opportunity, equity and

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

The work book provides an

This workbook provides an opportunity to develop

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

sustainable agriculture is about meeting the needs of

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

Now lets consider some other sources of information that

The Western Australian Farming for the Future

Some other links/extracts that identify legislative/regulatory

Environment and Resource

MLA; AgriSure/LPA QA;

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australian

Department of Agriculture and Food

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

How will you consult with this stakeholder?

What response do you expect to get?

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

It is generally accepted that the number of

Include appropriate strategies in policy at

Hopefully this has got you thinking about some

The following link provides an overview of the

Meat and Livestock

The following extract is an example of the

The Western Australian Government is assisting the

NACC CFOC Ashley

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

Farming for the Future will

Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australian

AHCWRK511A Develop Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

What is the key