A Future-Focused View of the Regulation of Rural Technology

There has been an explosion of innovation in agricultural technologies, but whether the anticipated benefits are fully realised depends partly upon with the institutional structures are supportive. Many types of law will shape what innovations are viable and the scale of the economic returns. Australia does not have a coherent strategy for future rural regulation that will both minimise the public risks and increase the private opportunities from future agricultural innovation. This paper addresses these issues. It considers the diverse legal issues that will affect these opportunities, and it looks particularly at agricultural robotics as an example of the many ways in which legal issues will shape opportunities from innovation. It proposes that an integrated strategy, based on a careful analysis of future issues, would be a significant contributor to Australia's agricultural sector and to its innovating industries.