National Established Weed Priorities (NEWP)

NEWP is a vital mechanism for implementing the Australian Weeds Strategy 2017-2027 and achieving action under the National Framework for the Management of Established Pests and Diseases of National Significance.

NEWP prioritisation process outcomes

July 2026

The National Biosecurity Committee (NBC) agreed 14 national established weed priorities, following a prioritisation process under the NEWP initiative that aims to improve weed management in Australia.

In agreeing the new national established weed priorities, governments are not agreeing to any regulatory changes. Regulatory decisions on weed management are the responsibility of individual state and territory governments.

The national established weed priorities represent an opportunity for interested governments, industry and community organisations to work together on improving the management of one or more species on the list. Jurisdictions or government agencies may choose to not collaborate due to no or limited negative impacts occurring or a focus on other priorities in that jurisdiction.

The 14 species below were agreed as national established weed priorities:

Species (common and scientific name)

*Assessed as lead species for a nominated group of closely-related weeds. Group species are in the NEWP assessment report.

The NEWP assessment report communicates the assessment results from the prioritisation process. The report contains assessment results for each species, including details on where it is found in Australia, the current and potential negative impacts (economic, environmental, social and cultural), beneficial uses and feasible actions to improve management. Click here for supporting references for the species summaries in Appendix B.

Buffel grass

NBC agreed to undertake further work before making a decision on Buffel grass as a national established weed priority under the NEWP initiative. This process will be led by an NBC working group who will provide advice back to NBC by December 2026.

Buffel grass presents a unique and complex case that requires further consideration. Buffel grass is of interest to a broad range of stakeholders. It is a highly valued pasture grass for the cattle industry. Conversely, Buffel grass has significant negative impacts, such as in conservation areas, and requires management to reduce these negative impacts.

The NEWP assessment report identified that:

• Buffel grass is causing nationally significant negative environmental and cultural impacts in Australia (current and potential)
• there are feasible actions to reduce the negative impact of Buffel grass where it is causing negative impacts
• the treatment of Buffel grass within the NEWP framework needs to be carefully considered to ensure it does not adversely impact grazing systems where it is highly valued; and
• national coordination on actions, such as improved control methods, would achieve efficiencies and avoid duplication of effort across conservation and First Nations groups and other landholders that are required to manage Buffel grass.

What happens next?

For each of the 14 national established weed priorities, implementation of management actions is dependent on the level of co-investment secured. Hence, a species being agreed as a priority does not guarantee the implementation of management actions.

Governments, industry and community organisations are requested to consider co-investing in the national established weed priorities to enable implementation of proposed management actions with stakeholders. For governments, a decision to participate or invest in NEWP activities will be based on consideration of the benefits derived by that state/territory and its stakeholders, aligned to current policy frameworks and priorities.

When resources are secured to be able to progress the identified feasible actions for a national established weed priority, NBC will finalise and communicate the NEWP delivery stream for each priority.

For implementation, broader engagement will occur with all stakeholders to gain a shared understanding of the negative impacts of a species and to collaborate to refine actions to improve management.

Further information on investment and implementation will be communicated on this page, once available.

It is anticipated that it will take some time for organisations to consider and secure co-investment, to enable implementation to proceed.

NEWP prioritisation process

The NEWP prioritisation process is described in the Guide to nominating a nationally significant weed.

It involved four steps:

1. Expression of interest – complete

• 184 expressions of interests were received, with a list of species deemed eligible for nomination available here.

2. Nomination – complete

• 35 nominations of weeds or groups of closely related weeds were received through the open nomination process, with a list of all nominations available here.

3. Assessment – complete

• 29 nominations proceeded from the preliminary assessment to detailed assessment.
• 15 nominations were found to meet the criteria to be considered for inclusion as a national established weed priority.
• Assessment results are summarised in the NEWP assessment report.

4. Review and approval

• The NEWP assessment report has been considered by the NBC, through the Environment and Invasives Committee (EIC).
• While 15 of the nominations were found to meet the criteria to be considered for inclusion as a national established weed priority, consensus was not reached for Buffel grass.
• Following the prioritisation process, the NBC has agreed 14 national established weed priorities and further work before making a decision on Buffel grass as a national established weed priority.

For any questions, email weedpriorities@aff.gov.au

What does NEWP mean for beneficial species, regulation and biocontrol?

Beneficial species

Some species nominated under the NEWP initiative have benefits, for example, as pasture grasses.

A plant is considered a weed if it is not valued where it is growing and requires some form of action to reduce its negative effects. Thus, a pasture grass providing benefits as feed for livestock is not considered a weed. However, the same plant species in a national park can be considered a weed (not valued) where it outcompetes native plants and requires management.

It is appropriate that species that have benefits and negative effects are eligible for consideration within the process, to assess harmful impacts and consider any actions that could improve management. This is consistent with principles underpinning weed management in Australia described in the Australian Weeds Strategy 2017-2027.

The detailed assessment process considered the benefits of a species, as described in the Guide to nominating a nationally significant weed. This included consideration about possible strategies to minimise negative impacts of a species while retaining its beneficial uses.

Regulation

In agreeing the national established weed priorities, governments are not agreeing to any regulatory changes. Regulatory decisions on weed management are the responsibility of individual state and territory governments, through their own regulatory frameworks.

The NEWP initiative, including the WoNS label, has no regulatory basis and does not create landholder management obligations.

Biocontrol and herbicides

A weed species must be endorsed as a candidate target for biological control by the EIC through the current procedure before permission is sought to release a biological control agent for that species (EIC 2019). The Protocol for Biological Control Agents (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 2022) provides a national standard for the assessment and introduction of exotic biocontrol agents into Australia under the Biosecurity Act 2015 and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (AVPMA) evaluates, registers and regulates agricultural and veterinary chemicals in Australia. Before a new agricultural or veterinary chemical product can be legally supplied, sold, or used in Australia it must be registered by the APVMA. Further details here.

About NEWP

The Environment and Invasives Committee’s Weeds Working Group (WWG) commissioned a report in 2020 to analyse the Weeds of National Significance (WoNS) initiative and draft a framework to underpin the future of nationally established weeds management.

The report ‘National Established Weed Priorities – Towards a National Framework’ proposed a draft framework for the nationally coordinated management of established weeds.

Wild Matters Pty Ltd subsequently developed the National Established Weed Priorities (NEWP) Framework and Implementation Plan, with extensive input and feedback from stakeholders, including through an industry and community Advisory Group.

NEWP retains the essence of the original WoNS initiative (through the WoNS component) but also moves beyond the single species approach to encompass other national established weed priorities including Weed Issues of National Significance (WINS) and a National Established Weeds Action List (NEWAL). This broadens the scope of the original initiative, addressing landscape-scale management issues for established weeds (WINS), and offering continued management of discrete national priority actions where required (NEWAL).

EIC endorsed the NEWP Framework and Implementation Plan in June 2023.

On 30 November 2023, the National Biosecurity Committee agreed to a phased approach to progress the NEWP implementation.

This phased approach initially focuses on determination of new national weed priorities.

Following determination of new national weed priorities, government and non-government stakeholders will consider investment. This will determine the scale of NEWP implementation.

NEWP Steering Group

Reflecting that NEWP is a collaborative initiative between government and non-government stakeholders, a NEWP Steering Group, consisting of representatives of all stakeholder sectors in weed management, is leading the overall implementation of NEWP.

The NEWP Steering Group provides strategic advice to the EIC WWG, which is accountable for this initiative to the Environment and Invasives Committee and the National Biosecurity Committee.

Further details are contained in the NEWP Terms of Reference.

The NEWP Steering Group has overseen the NEWP prioritisation process.

The members of the NEWP Steering Group are:

Industry & community

Weeds Working Group (WWG)

NEWP Steering Group Communiqués