What’s new
Beginning in 2026, several Western Australian Government agencies — Landgate, the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH), and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) — are undertaking a comprehensive review of PCC.
The current PCC estimates, and the pastoral potential assessments that support them, have become outdated and inconsistent over time. Updating this information is essential to ensure pastoral land is assessed using accurate, contemporary data.
Landgate’s Valuer General is required to reassess pastoral lease rentals in 2029. To complete this statutory review, updated PCC estimates for each lease will be needed.
This review also marks the first time Animal Equivalent (AE) will be applied as a consistent standard across the pastoral rangelands. This will provide a uniform and scientifically robust method for expressing all carrying capacities, ensuring consistency and comparability across different regions.
This PCC review will also use a modelling and spatial prediction methodology to map the major Rangeland Vegetation Groups (RVGs) as they currently occur across the pastoral estate. This will be followed by extensive consultation to determine updated pastoral potentials for mapped RVGs.
Background
In Western Australia, the majority of rangeland grazing properties are pastoral leases on Crown land controlled by the government. The Pastoral Lands Board (PLB) and the Minister for Lands administer these leases under the Land Administration Act 1997.
The PCC of a pastoral lease is determined according to the extent of the various land systems present on the lease. Pastoral leases are large and typically encompass several land systems.
Landgate uses the following definition of PCC:
The estimated number of livestock equivalents that can be carried annually over the long-term on a lease, while maintaining or improving rangeland condition. It assumes that all pasture types are in good rangeland condition (that is the potential for producing palatable pasture hasn’t been reduced), the area is fully developed (particularly with respect to water point distribution and placement) and available to livestock, all feral herbivores are under control, and good grazing management is practiced. The estimate is the average carrying capacity across the full range of seasonal conditions. The determination of PCC involves an understanding of each land unit’s ability to support sustained livestock grazing.
PCC review methodology
Landgate and DPIRD will primarily be responsible for this review. Learn more about the stages of the review and engagement with pastoral lease owners and other stakeholders.
More information
Read more about the review process.
If you have further questions regarding the PCC review process, please contact us via email.