As a South Australian, I want to see a future state government commit to growing Indigenous land and sea management in South Australia.
Along with Country Needs People, I am calling on candidates and parties to commit to:
- Developing a Looking after Country strategy for South Australia
- Establishing a SA Aboriginal Ranger Program to protect South Australia’s cultural and environmental leadership and provide up to 50 full-time equivalent jobs for Aboriginal people
- Investing $8 million over four years in a Looking after Country Project Fund
- Establishing an annual $750,000 Indigenous land and sea management small-grants program to support new and emerging groups.
Across South Australia, traditional owners work to care for Country and culture to the benefit of all South Australians. Aboriginal rangers care for and monitor important cultural sites, tackle feral animals and invasive weeds, look after threatened species, and limit destructive bushfires. This work also has a transformative effect on Indigenous communities by providing valued jobs that strengthen people’s cultural identity and self-esteem, developing skills and capacity to deliver projects, developing role models, careers and business opportunities.
South Australia is a big State and threats to Country are only worsening. As a State we can and should do better to support and grow Indigenous rangers and Indigenous land and sea management with direct funding. That’s why we need a future South Australian Government to commit to supporting work to heal Country now and grow Indigenous land and sea management into the future.
If elected, what will you do to support Indigenous land and sea management for the long term in South Australia?