Greening Cardinia Program

Category 1: Weed Control Grant

The aim of this grant is to help landowners and community groups control noxious and environmental* weeds on property located in areas of high biodiversity value.**

*Noxious weeds and environmental weeds:

Noxious weeds are weeds that are declared under the Catchment and Land Protections Act 1994 and can cause issues in both natural and agricultural areas. You can find more information about listed noxious weeds on the Agriculture Victoria website

Environmental weeds are weeds that are not listed as noxious under Victorian Government legislation but still cause issues in natural areas.  You can find a list of local environmental weeds on Council’s website.

** Areas of high biodiversity value include areas in or near bushland/bushland reserves, in biolink nodes (as outlined in Council’s Biolink Plan), along waterways

Grant amount

Landowners on properties over 4000m2 and community groups*** may apply for up to a maximum of $1,500 (inc. GST)

Only one grant is available per applicant (even if you own several properties).

*** Community groups may include Landcare and ‘Friends of' groups, or larger community and neighbourhood projects.

Eligibility criteria

Applications must be for works that control high-impact weeds (noxious and/or environmental weeds) in areas of high biodiversity value, such as properties that:

• are located within a biolink corridor.
• have a bushland/natural reserve on their boundary or in close proximity
• are a bushland/natural reserve (this is applicable for Landcare and Friend’s of groups)

Activities that are eligible include:

• weed control works that control high-impact weeds in areas of high biodiversity (in or near bushland, in biolink corridors/nodes)
• purchasing herbicide (up to a maximum of $500 per grant)
• disposing of weed material, i.e., tip passes or skip hire
• the hiring of equipment, for example, mulchers
• hiring contractors - please refer to conditions below

Activities that will NOT be funded include, but are not limited to:

• weed control conducted in areas not considered to be a high biodiversity value area
• weed control that does not control high-impact weeds
• weed control works on agricultural properties that is considered to be for commercial gain
• work that is for amenity purposes, e.g. lawn mowing, general garden maintenance. pasture improvement
• purchase of weed control tools/equipment eg: spray tanks, hand tools etc

Weed control needs to take place in this financial year. Receipts that are submitted for reimbursement must be dated in the current financial year. If your receipts do not meet the criteria and are for a different activity than what was approved funding will not be provided. 

Receipts and progress report/payment request forms must be submitted via SmartyGrants in order to be reimbursed by Council.

Council may choose to audit grant applications to ensure compliance with the requirements of each individual grant program. 

Hiring a contractor

• Contractors must have a valid ABN and hold an Australian Chemical User’s Permit and/or a Commercial Operator Licence.
  Note: you will be asked to provide your contractors name, ABN and licence number in the application. If this is not provided, your application can not be submitted
• Applicants can employ a contractor; however, a maximum of 50% of the cost of the contractor’s labour will be met by Council (up to a maximum of $1500).  Herbicides provided by a contractor will be reimbursed at 50% of the listed cost. e.g.: If your contractor costs come in at $1000 and you DO NOT meet the special circumstances, Council will only reimburse you $500 .
• If you meet the special circumstance requirements,  75% of contractor costs may be paid (up to a maximum of $1,500) eg: if your contractor costs come in at $1000 and you meet the special circumstances, Council may reimburse you $750 (subject to proof of special circumstances)
• An applicant can apply for special circumstances if they hold a disability card, pensioner concession or health care card. A copy of the relevant card must be included in your application.

Purchase of herbicide

• The herbicide that is purchased must be appropriate for the weeds that are to be treated.
• To check details on which herbicide to use for the weeds you want to remove/treat, please refer to the Chemical Registration Information portal

Council will only refund the purchase of chemicals that are considered appropriate for the:

• type of weeds you are treating.
• size of your property and amount/area of weeds you are treating.
• use in a 12 month period (no stock piling of chemicals will be funded).

How to apply

The application process is a two-step process.

1. Fill in details about the property where you are controlling weeds, what weed species you will control and how you will control them. You will also be asked to provide a photo of the area where you will do the weed control. Once you have submitted this information, your application will be assessed. You will be notified within 2 weeks if your application can proceed to step 2.
2. If your application progresses to the next step, you can complete the weed control work. Once the work is complete, you will need to submit final details, including a photo of the area where weed control was done and a receipt for the work/purchase.

Once the final details have been submitted, Council will assess again for reimbursement.

Need help?

Please contact Council's Land Management Officer on 1300 787 624

Apply now

Category 2: Corridors for wildlife

The aim of this program is to assist private landowners to revegetate sections of their property after weed control works, establish shelter belts or to revegetate areas that have fallen into environmental disrepair.

This program is for private landowners with properties greater than 1ha (2.47 acres) in size. If you have a property smaller than 1ha, check out our Gardens for Wildlife program

Please read these conditions before applying

To be successful for the corridors for wildlife program, you must have:

• a property in Cardinia Shire Council that is 1ha (2.47 acres) or larger
• space on your property to plant and grow at least 300 plants (planting area must be over 8 metres wide)
• defendable space around your home and neighbouring properties as per CFA guidelines
• time to spend planting and preparing the site
• the desire to establish a bush style habitat
• be willing to permanently protect the area from livestock with fencing.

Applications close on Tuesday 30 September 2025. Plants will be distributed for planting in winter-early spring 2026.

All site preparation and planting are done by the landholder. Council can provide advice on how to prepare the site, weeds control and plant species selection.

Property plan and photos with application

You will need to provide a property plan that shows the following information:

• Outline of property boundaries
• Location of any buildings (this includes dwellings and any outbuildings such as sheds)
• Defendable space around your home and any neighbouring properties as per CFA guidelines
• Shade in the area where the planting will be done
• Anything else that you think will help with the assessment of the application

The property plan can be a simple hand drawn plan, which shows the required information, including measurements for defendable space and how far away buildings/neighbouring properties are from the planting area. If you need assistance please contact council's Land Management Officer on 1300 787 624.

Photos of your property and where the planting will take place, must be included in the application to further assist with the assessment of the application.

Biodiversity monitoring

Council undertakes biodiversity monitoring across the shire to assess the health and presence of different species of flora and fauna.

If you would be interested in participating in this program, please tick the relevant box in the application form and our Land Management Officer can provide more information.

How to apply?

Complete the application form and Council's Land Management Officer will be in contact to arrange a property visit. You will be notified via email if your applicaiton is sucessful.

Apply now

Category 3: Biodiversity Incentive Community Group grant

This grant provided ‘Friends of’ groups, Landcare and other community groups with funding and support to undertake large-scale biodiversity projects that will protect and enhance indigenous species within Cardinia Shire.

Eligibility criteria

• ‘Friends of’ groups, Landcare groups and incorporated community groups
• Projects must link to one of the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy objectives (listed on page 7 of the strategy)
• Projects must be completed within this financial year and all necessary evidence submitted by Friday 12 June 2026.

Priority will be given to projects that:

• enhance the natural environment on public or private land with activities such as revegetation, weed and animal control or vegetation protection fencing
• are located in or have connectivity to areas mapped by the Cardinia Shire Biolink Plan .
• support threatened species
• support opportunities for volunteerism for Friends groups and Landcare groups
• collaborate with multiple community stakeholders
• aim to enhance biodiversity on a large scale 

Land not managed by Council

If the project is on land that Council does not own, you must get permission from the relevant land manager, for example VicRoads, VicTrack or the Crown Land Department, and submit this approval with your application.

If the necessary authorisations are not provided with your application, your application be unable to be submitted.

How to apply?

Apply now

Fill in the application form with as much detail as possible, including photos, relevant quote, letters of support and authority to undertake works and any other documentation that will assist us assess your applicaiton.

Need help?

If you need assistance filling out your application or would like more information please contact our Environment and Heritage team on 1300 787 624.