To coincide with World Ranger Day on 31 July 2021, the Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP, announced close to $750 million of funding for the Indigenous Ranger Program and the establishment of five new river ranger groups in the Murray-Darling Basin.

The $746 million funding extension for the Indigenous Ranger Program will support 80 organisations across Australia to continue caring for natural and cultural landscapes until 2028, and provide ongoing support for more than 1,900 Indigenous jobs. This longer-term funding will allow ranger groups to be more strategic with their land and sea country management and to further develop the skills and expertise of ranger organisations in their local areas.

An additional $3.1 million is going towards establishing five new ranger groups as part of the Murray-Darling Basin Indigenous River Rangers Program – which will focus on waterway health projects that support environmental and cultural outcomes across the Basin.

The five successful organisations for river ranger funding are: Border Ranges Contractors, Dharriwaa Elders Group, First People of the Millewa-Mallee Aboriginal Corporation, Yarkuwa Indigenous Knowledge Centre Aboriginal Corporation and Nari Nari Tribal Council.

This funding will support these organisations to establish at least 27 new positions for rangers and ranger co-ordinators to use their knowledge and connection to country to help manage and restore waterway health. The new rangers will begin work in mid-2021 for a period of up to 12 months.

Ranger groups hold deep knowledge of land and sea management and their contribution of this traditional knowledge is leading to improvements in modern environmental science and current approaches to managing our landscapes.

The funding announced on World Ranger Day will provide support and employment pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to maintain a distinctive cultural, spiritual, physical and economic relationship with their land and waters, to the benefit of all Australians.

Learn more about the various NIAA initiatives involving Indigenous rangers on The Indigenous Ranger Program webpage.