In this paper the nature and origins of Australian Landcare are described in the context of the weak form of ecological modernization adhered to by the current neoconservative Australian Government. After outlining Foucault’s concept of discourse, the way in which landcare discourse and practice reflect the dominant neo-liberal rationale is examined, highlighting contradictions between its environmental rhetoric and economic imperative. The paper concludes with a discussion of potential discursive sources for an alternate and more truly transformative rural environmentalism than that currently apparent within Landcare discourse.