KEEPING COUNTRY STRONG

Country Needs People has been the major advocate and driver of growth in Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) since we started as a campaign in 2015.

Since inception, our work has focused on the incredible value that Indigenous Protected Areas offer Australia through Indigenous led biodiversity protection and culturally informed governance and local decision making placing Traditional Owners at the heart of a strategic framework for managing land and sea. 

IPAs encourage productive working relationships with governments, funders, non-profits, researchers and other stakeholders with an interest in supporting better management of land and sea led by Traditional Owners. 

Australia now is a global leader in the extent and contribution of IPAs to our national system of reserves where they represent over 54% of all protected areas on land as of 2025.  Our work focuses on both advocating for improvements in federal government funding and support for IPAs, their future funding security, and  working with our partners on the ground to help them apply for, plan and manage their IPAs.

Advocacy that gets real results

In 2015 and 2016 we were able to work with representatives in the Senate and the House of Representatives to secure $15M for investing in new Indigenous Protected Areas. This was a critical time for the IPA network with its future under question. This federal investment at a key time allowed further growth of new IPAs over the following decade and a recommitment to funding the existing national network.

As of June 2025 that work has supported the delivery of 12 new operating IPAs by Traditional Owners with another 7 in the planning pipeline all funded prior to the 2022 Federal Election. 

We continued to keep the focus on IPAs in the lead up to the 2022 Federal Election, then in early May of 2022 came an announcement that a further 10 Sea Country IPA projects had been funded to enter the planning and development phase, which when fully completed will add another 6.2 million hectares of sea to IPA management and 200,000 hectares of coastal land to Australia's National Reserve System. 

The May 2022 Election saw an incoming Labor government with a commitment to further grow IPAs nationally in response to our advocacy.

Continuing wins on IPA funding

Our advocacy achieved another key outcome in the October 2022 Budget, with the newly elected Albanese Labor Government confirming it would boost IPA funding by an extra $65 million over five years through to 2028, totalling a $231 million dollar investment over the five year period. This is a huge win for Traditional Owners and Indigenous land and sea management generally, and for Australia's efforts to meet its international commitments on protecting biodiversity, entire landscapes and First Nations' cultural values.

Already IPAs make up over 54% of Australia's National Reserve System and this percentage is set to grow strongly over coming years as more IPAs pass through the planning phase and are declared. Country Needs People will continue to advocate strongly for funding and resourcing to accompany this growth to ensure Indigenous land and sea managers are properly supported into the future.

Following the 2025 Federal Election Country Needs People again delivered in ensuring the Federal Government is committed to building the IPA network further, with Greens and Independents holding strong ongoing positions to support the sector. We are proud of our continuing work alongside our partner groups nationally to ensure IPAs are strengthened into the future for the benefit of every Australian.