If you are one of the key contacts in your local Southern New England Landcare group, you may have received an email recently from Landcare NSW, suggesting that your group consider taking up membership with Landcare NSW, and accessing the new insurance deal they have secured. 

Your group will only need to consider this if it is incorporated in its own right. For instance, Arding Landcare Inc., Sustainable Living Armidale Inc, Armidale Tree Group Inc. etc.

All unincorporated sub-groups of Southern New England Landcare Ltd are NOT required to sign up as members of Landcare NSW for the purposes of insurance, as they are already signed up and insured under the new policy recently taken by Southern New England Landcare Ltd under the Landcare NSW master policy arrangement. However, your sub-group of Southern New England Landcare Ltd needs to be aware of the new 'rules' that now apply under the new insurance policies.

New rules for (unincorporated) sub-groups

Insurance cover for Section 355 Committees of Council, school groups, or “branches” of other organisations (e.g. Rotary Club) is provided by their parent body’s insurance. Our Southern New England Landcare Ltd example is BC2 - Armidale High School Bushcare Group, where its group activities are covered by the school.

Unincorporated groups operating as a named working group, sub-committee, or as a sub-group under the constitution of the umbrella organisation (i.e. all those Southern New England Landcare sub-groups listed below) can be covered as part of the umbrella network's policy (at no extra cost) under the following conditions:

1. The individual members of this sub-group take out individual membership with your main body (we ask that everyone signs up for free at https://snelandcare.org.au/membership/become-a-member.html)
2. The sub-group operates in the name of the umbrella organization under a “term of reference” from the main body that a true “line of sight” of activities exists. The 'term of reference' is the Southern New England Landcare Ltd constitution.
3. The ultimate decision-making authority for the sub-group is the management committee of the umbrella organisation, i.e. the board of Southern New England Landcare Ltd. This does not mean that straight-forward sub-group decisions cannot be made by the sub-group itself.

Southern New England Landcare Ltd sub-groups listed on the Company Register

The sub-groups listed below have been accepted as member groups of Southern New England Landcare Ltd, and are listed on the Company Register. These groups DO NOT need to take out Landcare NSW membership and insurance, but DO need to be aware of, and follow the rules outlined above. 

Aberfoyle Landcare Armidale Urban Rivercare Balala-Brushgrove Landcare Boorolong Landcare BOZO Landcare Cooney Creek Landcare Dangarsleigh Landcare Dumaresq Landcare Friends of Angophora Bushland Reserve Friends of Barry Munday Reserve Friends of Black Gully Glen-GRO Landcare Grass Grower's Tea Party Harnham Landcare Herbert Park Landcare Lower Apsley River Landcare

Malpas Catchment Group New England Agroforestry Network Nowendoc Landcare Oaky Landcare People's Park Landcare Rockvale Landcare Save the Regent Honeyeater Group Soil Health Forum South Armidale Walking Track Group UNE Landcare Uralla Rivercare Winterbourne Moona Plains Landcare Wongwibinda Landcare Woolbrook-Walcha Road Landcare Yarrowitch-Tia Landcare

Hazardous Activities

Under Southern New England Landcare Ltd's membership and insurance with Landcare NSW, the following activities are regarded as potentially hazardous and MUST be undertaken by appropriately skilled, trained, licensed, or certified individuals. These activities should be preapproved by the committee of management:

1. Use of pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals (including trailer mounted units)
2. Use of chainsaws, heavy and motorised machinery
3. Use of firearms
4. Pest baiting
5. Use of watercraft (not exceeding 8m in length)
6. Snorkelling and scuba diving
7. Working at heights.

Member groups undertaking these activities on either singular or regular basis must inform their Local Landcare Coordinator or designated safety officer, and operate according to both Federal and NSW state legislation, and the Landcare NSW WH&S policy and risk assessment requirements.

All paid group members whilst participating in Landcare style group activities on public land or in a Landcare group based ‘working bee’ on private and/or public land, should ensure that they have appropriate certification, qualifications, and skill levels.

Designated activity leaders and Landcare Coordinators MUST check the insurance and relevant certifications of all contractors and suppliers of pesticides/herbicides/other chemicals that are intended to be used at the controlled activity.

All Landholder group members on which a Landcare developed project is being implemented on their own land, and who are working on their own property outside of a specific Group controlled activity, must ensure they have the correct certifications, skills and corresponding insurances to cover this work.

All Landcare group members on which a Landcare developed project is being implemented on any waterway must ensure they have the correct certifications, skills, and corresponding insurances to cover this work. As a minimum of one person must hold a current Bronze medallion (SLSA) or equivalent.

Landcare NSW will not permit untrained or unlicensed volunteers to be participating in any of the abovementioned activities.

Download Landcare NSW's Hazardous Activities Information Sheet for more information.

Important reminders for sub-groups of Southern New England Landcare ltd

1. Membership - please check that all your group members are signed up as members of Southern New England Landcare (which is now FREE) by visiting https://snelandcare.org.au/membership/become-a-member.html.
2. Constitution - remember, your group must abide by the Constitution of Southern New England Landcare Ltd.
3. Group funds - if your group still holds funds and you would like to use them for a group activity or project, please get in touch with the office to make arrangements.
4. Promotion - all event and activity promotional materials need to reference Southern New England Landcare Ltd as the group's governing body. An easy way to do this is to state something like "This initiative is hosted by NAME OF YOUR GROUP - a Sub-Group of Southern New England Landcare Ltd". This will ensure the activity is covered by the insurance policy.
5. Pre-approval - activities that are part of a controlled Landcare Group or Sub-Group activity should be preapproved by the committee of management of that group.
6. Paid contractors - any paid contractors working on landcare projects should email their insurance and qualification details to the office. 
7. Inform the SNELandcare Coordinator - please, if you are arranging an event or activity, make sure you let us know! Email is probably best so we have a 'record' of your planned event.