2026 LGAQ CONFERENCE MOTIONS & COUNCILLOR ATTENDANCE (Referred from the General Committee Meeting dated 7 July 2026 - Item 7.7) · Attachment 4 - Recognising and Protecting Soil as Natural Critical Infrastructure

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                            • prioritise renewed efforts to support landholders (farmers and
                              other) to gain access to objective science backed and property-
                              scale information that informs locally relevant nature-based soil
                              remediation and improvement measures that combat soil health
                              threats and waterway contamination.
                            • Advocate to compliment State soils data with a comprehensive
                              soil health map with harmonised soil datasets at a catchment
                              level as well as a more centralised and accessible program that
                              landholders can access for information, advice and support to
                              improve soil health without cost is required.
Background
                            Soil Science Australia estimates soils deliver A$930bn value to our
(required) 350-word limit
                            economy, making soil Australia’s most valuable natural asset. Yet
                            the latest national State of the Environment report confirms that
                            Australian soils are degraded and under increasing threat from
                            erosion, acidification, salinisation, codification, soil carbon loss,
                            contamination, degradation and urban and industrial expansion.
                            According to one study, Australia has the world’s third highest loss
                            of soil carbon over the last 250 years.
                            The global goals adopted in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for
                            Sustainable Development, are designed to end poverty, protect the
                            planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all. Healthy soils
                            underpin our collective ability to achieve the sustainable
                            development goals, as acknowledged by Australia’s 20-year
                            National Soil Strategy. But while the Strategy aims to recognise soil
                            as a vital asset, Queensland currently lacks a cohesive state-level
                            strategy to operationalise this, particularly for local governments.
                            While all states and territories have supported the National Soil
                            Action Plan (2023-2028), implementation remains heavily siloed in
                            agricultural grants and high-level mapping. To fully realise the
                            National Strategy’s goal of treating soil as a "key national asset,"
                            Queensland must operationalise this at the local and regional level.
                            Identifying soil as critical infrastructure would change the paradigm
                            from "protecting the environment" to "maintaining a municipal
                            asset" that actively provides measurable services like flood
                            attenuation for the stormwater network and structural stability for
                            roads. This supports local governments and farmers as the entities
                            that actually bear the financial brunt when this "invisible
                            infrastructure" fails.
                            The remediation of degraded soils should be a key priority for
                            critical infrastructure resilience. Opportunities exist to prioritise
                            local, nature-based solutions such as bioremediation and
                            phytoremediation, and to enhance soils through municipal organic
                            waste treatment such as composting and biochar. By investing in
                            local solutions, councils can build a resilient, circular economy that
                            improves soil health while improving resilience to global supply
                            chain disruptions and price volatility in petroleum-based fertilisers
                            and agricultural chemicals.


                                                                                               June 26
                                                                                        Wilson Crawley