A new national body representing farm-based tourism operators has been established, with the Australian Agritourism Network (AAN) formally announced at the Global Agritourism Conference in Scotland. The organisation is farmer-led and positions itself as a unified voice for primary producers offering agritourism experiences across Australia.

Leadership and Structure

Tim Parsons of Curringa Farm in Tasmania has been appointed inaugural President. Kay Tommerup of Tommerup’s Dairy Farm in Queensland takes the role of Vice-President. The committee is structured to include two representatives from each Australian state, providing each jurisdiction with a direct line into national-level advocacy.

The AAN has signalled plans to expand its membership base beyond the founding committee to include broader producer membership across Australia.

Core Objectives

The AAN has identified three priority areas for its initial focus:

• Advocacy to reduce compliance burden and regulatory red tape affecting farm-based tourism operators
• Improved access to practical compliance guidance and business mentoring resources
• Growth support for on-farm experiences including farm stays, paddock tours, and direct-to-consumer produce sales

The compliance and red tape focus is significant. Agritourism operators in Australia consistently identify regulatory complexity as a primary barrier to business development, and a nationally coordinated advocacy effort is better positioned to influence federal and state-level policy than individual operators or state bodies working in isolation.

What This Means for WA Operators

Western Australian agritourism operators now have a national body through which to channel advocacy on regulatory issues that have long constrained on-farm tourism development in this state. The two-per-state committee structure means WA has representation built into the AAN’s founding architecture, and operators should watch for confirmation of who those WA representatives are and how to engage with them.

The AAN’s stated focus on practical compliance guides and business mentoring is directly relevant to WA conditions. Operators here navigate a layered regulatory environment covering planning approvals, food safety, liquor licensing, and biosecurity, often without consolidated guidance. If the AAN delivers on practical resources, WA operators stand to benefit from tools developed at national scale rather than building compliance knowledge individually.

The direct-to-consumer produce experience focus also aligns with existing WA farm gate and produce sales activity. A national network could open pathways to shared marketing frameworks, accreditation schemes, or visitor expectation standards that give WA operations greater credibility in competitive tourism markets.

Operators interested in engaging with the AAN, or in nominating for expanded membership roles when those open, should monitor the organisation’s communications directly. Given the body was announced at an international conference in August 2026, formal membership structures and WA-specific engagement pathways are likely to be detailed in the months ahead.