Albury’s Justin Clancy is one of three MPs who wrote to the NSW Government demanding answers. Photo: Justin Clancy MP/Facebook.
The NSW Government has rejected claims it is abandoning a Riverina native seed collection program, saying the Deniliquin Native Seed Bank has enough seed to meet demand for years and the service is simply being reviewed.
The response comes after Member for Albury Justin Clancy, Member for Murray Helen Dalton and Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr called on Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty to explain reports that funding for this year’s Murray Local Land Services native seed harvest had ceased.
The MPs say the reported decision has resulted in the loss of 13 highly experienced seasonal native seed collectors across the Murray region, including nine from the Corowa-Albury district and four from Deniliquin.
In a statement to Region, a Local Land Services spokesperson said the service itself was continuing.
“Local Land Services continues to support landholders and stakeholders with native seed advice, collection expertise and landscape restoration services.”
The spokesperson said the Murray Native Seed Services seed store currently held about 2000 kg of seed, while annual sales were only about 86 kg.
“On that basis, further seed collection is not required in the foreseeable future while existing stocks are available.”
The government said the seed bank stores species native to the Murray region, which were supplied to councils, Landcare groups, landholders and environmental restoration projects.
It said Local Land Services was reviewing how the service was delivered “to ensure it remains sustainable, responsive to demand and focused on the needs of landholders and communities”.
The spokesperson added there would be no changes to permanent staff, describing the process as “not a restructure or a termination of the service”.
However, the government’s statement did not directly answer Region‘s questions about whether funding for this year’s seasonal seed harvest had ceased or respond to claims that 13 seasonal seed collectors had lost their positions.
The native seed collection program employs specialist workers to collect seeds from indigenous plants across the Murray region. The seeds are cleaned, stored and later used to grow local native plants for revegetation projects, helping restore bushland, improve biodiversity and ensure local plant species are returned to the landscapes where they naturally belong.
The Deniliquin Native Seed Bank is one of the state’s largest regional native seed stores, holding locally collected seed for environmental projects across southern NSW.
The three MPs said they had been contacted by former seed collectors, environmental professionals and community members who were deeply concerned about the future of the program and the loss of specialist knowledge built over decades.
Mr Clancy said native seed collectors performed a highly specialised role that went well beyond gathering seed.
“These collectors don’t simply gather seed. They know where individual native species grow, how seasonal conditions affect seed availability, how to harvest sustainably while protecting genetic diversity and how to ensure quality local provenance seed is available for revegetation projects.
“The Murray Native Seed Bank is an important environmental asset for our region. It supports local councils, Landcare groups, nurseries, landholders and restoration projects with locally sourced native seed. At a time when governments are rightly talking about biodiversity, habitat restoration and resilience to climate change, protecting this capability should be a priority.”
Ms Dalton said the decision risked losing knowledge that could never be replaced.
“These aren’t simply seasonal jobs. These are people who have spent decades developing an extraordinary knowledge of our native species, ethical seed collection and environmental restoration.
“A temporary surplus of seed should never be used as justification for dismantling decades of specialist expertise. Once these people are gone, that knowledge is extraordinarily difficult to rebuild.”
Dr McGirr said the loss of specialist workers could have long-term consequences.
“The loss of jobs and hard-won specialist knowledge is a blow to those efforts and even worse, the loss of capability in this sector will have a negative impact on a range of organisations dedicated to protecting native biodiversity and restoring habitat that can only be provided by native plant species.”
The three MPs have called on the minister to publicly explain the future of the native seed collection program and the Deniliquin Native Seed Bank and to reconsider funding to retain the region’s specialist native seed collection workforce.
