In most states of Australia, agricultural extension policies and practices have increasingly been based on considerations of private/public goods, user pays and cost recovery. In addition, the delivery of extension has been strongly influenced by changing administrative structures and a change in the paradigm within which the extension community operates. These changes have had major impacts, including more extension being delivered by the private sector. There are positive aspects to the changes and, for some issues, they are appropriate. However, we have a number of reservations, particularly about the effectiveness of current extension systems in assisting the adoption of complex environmental and farming system technologies.

This book, and indeed the wider extension network in Australia, is replete with examples and models of various extension approaches that are employed by intervening agencies seeking to enable desired change(s) in sustainable production and/or natural resource management. Chapter 1 paints a picture of extension as a policy instrument, or a method or mechanism used by government and government agencies as well as other institutions including business to achieve a desired effect (also see Vanclay and Leach 2006)1. This chapter provides a perspective on extension policy in Australia, a framework in which a national extension policy platform can rest and a process model for negotiation of effective extension policy as an effective instrument for enabling change.

Rural research, development and extension (RD&E) has been a significant contributor to making Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries into what they are today—world-leading, productive and innovative industries.

The Australian rural sector includes a diverse range of industries, which largely comprise small family businesses. The incentive and capacity for individual small businesses to invest in RD&E is low, resulting in potential under-investment in RD&E in the rural sector. The government helps rural industries overcome this by providing rural producers with a means of investing collectively in RD&E to benefit their industry and wider community. This is done through the rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs)—a partnership between government and industry in priority setting and funding.