Indigenous ranger programs enable First Nations people across Australia to protect and manage their land, sea and culture through a combination of traditional knowledge with Western science and conservation practices.
[2] The federal Working on Country program was established by the Howard government in 2007,[3] with the aim of creating meaningful employment, training and career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in managing land and sea areas, as well as maintaining their cultures, and sharing their skills and knowledge with others.
[4] As of 2023[update] the scheme had created more than 1900 full-time, part-time and casual jobs for Indigenous people across the country, across 127 ranger groups.
[3] There had been significant advocacy for the increased annual funding for both Indigenous ranger and Indigenous Protected Area programs, the establishment of a long-term target of 5,000 ranger positions nationally, and extension of contract lengths to at least ten years for greater stability.
[7] This led to a funding increase of A$359 million, a total of $1.3 billion from 2021 to 2028 to double the number of Indigenous rangers by 2030 from 1,900 to 3,800 by 2030.