Published resources

The Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework Stage 1 Final Report provides a comprehensive summary of the first stage in the AASF initiative.

The report outlines the development of a national framework to demonstrate Australian agriculture’s sustainability to markets, policymakers, and the community. It details the framework’s purpose, phases of development, and activities, including governance design, data needs assessment, industry benchmarking, and stakeholder engagement.

The Final Report highlights the foundational work for future stages of the AASF, aimed at enhancing the agricultural sector’s ability to meet sustainability expectations, secure market access, and align with international and domestic priorities.

The Analysis of Proposed Tax ACCUs Report examines the implications of proposed changes to the tax treatment of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) on the agricultural sector.

The report provides an in-depth analysis of how these tax arrangements might influence carbon farming participation, market dynamics, and alignment with industry and government objectives. It incorporates case studies, consultation with stakeholders, and qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the effects of the proposed tax changes on farm businesses, carbon market participants, and government policy considerations.

The Time is Now: Role of AASF in Sustainable Supply Chains examines the importance of the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF) in promoting sustainable practices within the agricultural sector.

The report addresses the increasing demand for transparency and sustainability across supply chains, driven by evolving consumer preferences, regulatory pressures, and global market trends. It positions the AASF as a critical tool to unify diverse sustainability initiatives and provide a consistent narrative for Australian agriculture’s environmental, social, and economic contributions.

The report underscores the potential of the AASF to guide the transition towards a sustainable agricultural future, ensuring that Australian agriculture remains competitive, resilient, and environmentally responsible.

The Materiality Assessment Outcomes Final Report outlines key sustainability priorities for Australian agriculture. The assessment identifies environmental, social, and governance (ESG) topics most significant to Australian agriculture, helping prioritise sustainability efforts and align with global standards.

The findings of the report provide critical insights for refining the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF) and improving sustainability performance across the sector. In addition, the report supports consistent communication and reporting across Australian agriculture.

The Legal and Policy Analysis Final Report examines the barriers within Australia’s legal and policy systems that may impede the adoption of sustainable practices and participation in sustainability payment initiatives in the agricultural sector.

The report evaluates key areas of taxation, government assistance, valuation, land tenure, and licensing requirements, identifying how these barriers could influence farmer participation and outlining considerations for future policy development.

The Communication and Engagement Report: Phase 2 provides insights into farmer perceptions and practices related to sustainability in Australian agriculture.

Conducted with over 600 producers, the study examines current sustainable farming activities, barriers to adoption, and industry support mechanisms. It explores how farmers view sustainability in both economic and environmental terms and their awareness of frameworks and schemes promoting sustainable practices.

The report highlights the need for clear communication, tailored industry support, and accessible incentives to foster greater adoption of sustainable practices across the sector.

The Recognising On-Farm Biodiversity Report explores the potential for a national certification scheme to incentivise and recognise biodiversity management in Australian agriculture.

Commissioned as part of the Australian Government’s Agriculture Stewardship Package, the report provides a foundation for the development of a biodiversity certification scheme through a review of best practices, stakeholder consultations, and an analysis of critical success factors.

The research serves as a foundational step in designing a practical and collaborative framework that promotes biodiversity alongside sustainable agricultural practices, whilst ensuring it addresses the needs of farmers, policymakers, and the broader agricultural sector.

A Return on Nature: Sustainable Finance and Ecosystem Services examines the potential for market-based mechanisms to incentivise sustainable practices in Australian agriculture by valuing and rewarding ecosystem services.

The report highlights the critical need for a structured ecosystem services market to address the undervaluation of natural capital, aligning financial incentives with environmental stewardship. It explores how sustainable finance and innovative market solutions can enable farmers to manage natural assets while delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits.

The report underscores the opportunity to integrate natural capital into Australia’s economic systems, driving resilience and ensuring that agriculture remains both sustainable and globally competitive.

The Applying the AASF: Guidance Document provides a practical guide for Australian agriculture stakeholders to implement the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF). It seeks to facilitate a unified and consistent approach to sustainability by offering a structured framework that reflects key material sustainability issues specific to the sector.

The document serves to support foundational, intermediate, and advanced users in aligning their sustainability practices with the AASF, emphasising capacity building, data interoperability, and improved communication of sustainability efforts.

The Guidance Document aims to address global and local sustainability drivers while aligning with international standards to enhance the sector’s resilience and its ability to respond to regulatory, market, and societal demands.

The Bringing the AASF to Life Research Report, details the development and implementation process of the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF).

The report covers governance principles, data strategy, and continuous improvement systems necessary for the AASF’s success. It emphasises the need for a distributed governance model, joint public and industry resourcing, and the creation of a formal agricultural sustainability data-sharing ecosystem.

The Research Report highlights the importance of aligning with global sustainability initiatives and maintaining a responsive framework to adapt to evolving sustainability standards.

The KPMG Pilot Program Final Report outlines the co-design process and findings of a pilot program to test the implementation of the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF). This process was developed to assess the framework’s readiness for operationalisation across the Australian agricultural supply chain.

The report details the outcomes of consultations and workshops with stakeholders, which informed the pilot design, principles, and success criteria. It highlights the potential benefits of piloting the AASF, including reducing implementation risks, enhancing alignment with global sustainability standards, and improving data collection and reporting practices.

The Final Report lays the foundation for aligning sustainability reporting across agricultural sectors, enabling better collaboration, and positioning Australian agriculture as a leader in sustainability practices.

The CSIRO Data Assessment Framework Final Report provides a detailed exploration of methodologies for evaluating the quality, relevance, and usability of datasets in agriculture. The report emphasises the importance of ensuring that datasets meet specific needs for decision-making, research, and reporting, particularly in the context of sustainability and resource management.

The report highlights the need for a comprehensive, user-friendly framework tailored to data users rather than data creators. It reviews existing frameworks, principles, and standards, outlining a structured approach to evaluating data based on dimensions like accessibility, relevance, accuracy, coherence, and timeliness.

The Final Report serves as a foundation for harmonising data practices, fostering interoperability, and supporting future data-driven initiatives in agriculture.

The CSIRO Data Ecosystem Workshop Report outlines the design of a data ecosystem to support the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF). The vision of the data ecosystem is to create a trusted, interoperable data ecosystem that enables informed decision-making and continuous improvement in Australian agriculture.

The report outlines key components for the ecosystem, including collaborative spaces, governance mechanisms, and data standards needed to facilitate data sharing across Australia’s agricultural sector.

The Workshop Report provides a roadmap for building a data ecosystem that can address the sustainability challenges in Australian agriculture.

The CSIRO Data Ecosystem Insights Report explores the current practices and challenges within agricultural data ecosystems, focusing on their alignment with the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF).

The report identifies the complex and fragmented nature of agricultural data collection, sharing, and governance. It examines stakeholder perspectives, use cases, and requirements for a unified data ecosystem that supports sustainability reporting.

The Insights Report highlights the need for better coordination, standardisation, and trust-building to streamline data use and enhance sustainability outcomes in the agriculture sector.

The CSIRO Data Analysis Final Report examines the data collection practices of existing agricultural sustainability frameworks and certification schemes. It assesses the alignment of these frameworks with the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF).

The report provide insights into the current state of sustainability data collection and identifies where improvements are needed to support more effective sustainability reporting. It seeks to understand the methods used by various frameworks to gather data, the types of data being collected, and how these data contribute to the measurement of sustainability indicators within agriculture.

The Final Report will guide future efforts in harmonising data collection, improving data quality, and fostering greater collaboration between different agricultural sectors and sustainability initiatives.