NGISA Inc Membership Benefits

Greenlife Industry Australia (GIA) represents the interest of the industry at a national level including:

• Negotiating issues with the Federal Government including; Biosecurity, Environment, Industrial Relations, Water and Weed Management.
• Providing regular news and information through a variety of online and printed communications

Nursery Production Farm Management System (FMS)
This program is administered by GIA and includes the Nursery Industry Accreditation Scheme Australia (NIASA), Ecohort and Biosecure HACCP systems.

1. NIASA provides accreditation for continual business improvement and professional development. It helps nursery businesses deal with production efficiencies, government regulations and advancing technology as well as acknowledging excellence.
2. EcoHort is the industry specific certification guidelines or Environmental Management System (EMS). It is a method by which a grower can demonstrate to industry, government and the community their sound environmental and natural resource stewardship.
3. Biosecure HACCP. This is the industry specific biosecurity program designed to assist growers in assessing their current and future pest, disease and weed risks, and guide businesses in the implementation of management strategies at critical control points. The program validates many of the best management practice strategies employed under the Nursery Industry Accreditation Scheme Australia (NIASA).

Plant Health Diagnostic Service
Grow Help Australia (DAF Qld) have accessed Nursery Industry Levy funds to create a program which offers:

➢ Testing

• 10 free basic/complex samples (as per Grow Help website) for each NIASA accredited nursery. (Molecular tests and nematode extractions are still charged owing to the greater time/cost associated with the tests and outsourcing required.) Samples could be media/water tests for Phytophthora or actual plant samples;
• Discounted nursery samples for all production nurseries that are not NIASA, in the range of $60 to $140 per sample;

➢ Production of pest and disease management literature

• 4 fact sheets produced per year.
• 1 pest management plan each year, some years have 2 pest management plans depending on other outputs.
• 1 nursery paper per year.
• 15 Pest ID tool pest descriptions.

➢ Training

• 1 workshop in South Australia each year
• 4 webinars per year.

Australian Garden Centre Accreditation Scheme (AGCAS)
The Australian Garden Centre Accreditation Scheme (AGCAS) is an GIA scheme designed to encourage and recognise excellence in garden centre retailing. South Australia has 13 retail garden centres accredited under this national best practices scheme. AGCAS Members in SA benefit from promotional and advertising activities supplied to them by the NGISA Office, along with a yearly audit.

Improve Your Plant Life Balance
The Improve Your Plant Life Balance program is the promotional campaign developed through the Nursery Industry Levy and which is also promoted in South Australia by the NGISA.

Greener Places Better Spaces
What was the 202020 Vision project has become ‘Greener Places Better Spaces’ which is a program working with organisations and businesses to grow more and better green spaces in Australia’s urban areas. It is managed by Hort Innovation on behalf of the nursery and garden industry utilising the Nursery Industry Levy and Australian Government funding. The program includes extensive stakeholder relations.

National Nursery Trade Register
A free listing of your business – products and details – is included in the online National Nursery Trade Register.

Other benefits include:

• Regular GIA technical and business advisory papers
• Reduced rates for national conferences
• Reduced rates on manuals and promotional materials
• Marketing and retail advice at a national level
• Hort Innovation market research reports and newsletters
• Updates from Fairwork Australia
• Qantas Club Corporate Membership discount
• Caltex Starcard membership access with discounts on fuels