AN independent report has criticised the ACT government for not effectively managing land agreements that it set up with rural land owners.

The ACT Auditor-General Michael Harris tabled the audit report to the speaker of the Legislative Assembly on Thursday (February 4).

The unique agreements provide a basis for cooperative land management between rural leaseholders and government agencies responsible for managing non-urban land.

The ACT is the only state or territory that has such a deal, which establishes appropriate sustainable agricultural management practices and good farm bio-security, including protecting the environment from harm, while maintaining ecological and cultural values.

But Mr Harris documented in his report that government has failed on several of the key points.

Mr Harris, who heads the ACT audit office and operates independently of government, said the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate “is not effectively managing agreements to ensure that they are relevant as an active and ongoing land management tool”.

He also pointed out that a “significant proportion” of agreements and are out of date and often “lack depth of information”.

It ensures that the value of land agreements are “questionable” at best, the report said.

“There is no overarching risk management framework to guide the development of land management agreements,” Mr Harris wrote in his report, “and monitoring and enforcement of rural leaseholders’ compliance with the agreements does not occur.”

The audit added there is no evidence of any enforcement activity being undertaken by any ACT government agency.

“There is no regular and systematic program of compliance activity to monitor rural leaseholders’ compliance with their agreement obligations,” Mr Harris wrote.

The audit report made six recommendations aimed at improving the effective management and administration of land management agreements.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, along with the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate and the Treasury and Economic Development Directorate were provided with a draft proposed report before a final proposed report for further comment.

No comment were provided from government for inclusion in the final land management agreements report.