The Bob Hawke Landcare Award is a prestigious, national award that publicly recognises an individual involved in championing Landcare and who inspires others to take action on their own property or through a Landcare group.

The award acknowledges an individual’s leadership and commitment to Landcare, natural resource management and sustainable agriculture. The award nomination is open to an individual who champions the uptake of sustainable agriculture practices and can demonstrate the adoption of improved practises among landholders as a consequence this action. They will be closely involved in Landcare, and can demonstrate an outstanding commitment to local communities and drive community activity.

The Bob Hawke Landcare Award acknowledges the role that former Prime Minister, the Hon. Bob Hawke AC, played in elevating Landcare from a grass-roots community initiative to a national movement with bi-partisan government support that endures today.

Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said Landcare unites farming communities across all commodities and regions.

The Bob Hawke Landcare Award recipient will be awarded a prize package to the value of $50,000 for further development of their knowledge and skills in sustainable land management to enable an even stronger contribution to Landcare. The award recipient will be required to submit a project proposal outlining out how they plan to spend the $50,000.

To be eligible for the award, nominees must be an individual and actively involved in Landcare and natural resource management or sustainable agriculture. All award nominations will be assessed by an independent advisory panel, including representatives who have experience in sustainable farming practices, natural resource management, community and Indigenous perspectives.

The Bob Hawke Landcare Award will be presented at the National Landcare Awards gala dinner on Thursday 11 March, 2021 in Sydney.

The Bob Hawke Landcare Award is administered by Landcare Australia through support from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

“I am very pleased to maintain an association with Landcare through this award, named in my honour. The Decade of Landcare initiative I declared in 1989 has now spanned well over three decades. This in itself highlights the need and willingness by community volunteers to continually raise awareness and participation in activities directed at protecting the environment and giving their continued support to ensure that the practice of sustainable farming remains paramount.” The former Prime Minister, the Hon. RJL Hawke AC.

Charlie Arnott, NSW Charlie is a biodynamic farmer and grazier, who practices; regenerative farming, organic, biodynamic and holistic grazing principles on his 5000 acre mixed farming property, Hanaminno, at Boorowa, NSW. Charlie has won several agricultural industry awards for leadership, resource management and conservation. He has been an active Landcarer since the inception of the Landcare movement in 1989, with previous roles in all levels of Landcare, from district groups to the Sustainable Farming ambassador for Landcare Australia. He is passionate about growing clean healthy meat, which he sells direct to customers and butchers under his brand Charlie Arnott Natural Grass Fed Meat.

Simon Falkiner, VIC Simon’s 600-acre mixed-enterprise family farm at Freshwater Creek produces meat merinos, cereals and oilseed crops, while prioritising farming techniques that preserve the land’s biodiversity. Simon’s focus on maintaining soil health and his integrated pest and grazing management has made him a leading advocate for best-practice Landcare. His farm has hosted long-term trials, testing everything from soil acidification and biology, to pasture cover and cropping. He’s also undertaken extensive riparian restoration along Thompsons Creek to protect remnant vegetation, and assisted in monitoring the threatened Yarra pygmy perch and growling grass frog.

Dr Graeme Stevenson, TAS Dr Graeme Stevenson, from Somerset Tasmania has 55 years of agricultural experience running his family farm as a farm labourer and manager, through his tertiary agricultural education, dairy extension and research, as an agricultural consultant and rural journalist. He has worked with Tasmanian dung beetles and agricultural earthworms in soil management since 1988. Graeme is a volunteer with the Elliott and Wynyard Landcare groups since 1993, as well as Somerset and Camdale Coastcare, Burnie Farmers Market and Tasmanian Organic groups. He has initiated and managed 27 Landcare/organic farming projects attracting $1.4m in grants majoring in on-ground works. Under the pseudonym of Dr Spluttergrunt, Graeme has acted out his ‘soil care’ presentation to over 60 schools. He has  20 years of applied research into organic and biological agriculture as sustainable farming.