Your recent announcement extending the funding for Indigenous rangers to 2028 was great to see. I am a huge supporter of the work Indigenous rangers do on Indigenous Protected Areas and beyond and it was great to see your recognition of the success of these programs. I note also your positive statements about the future our precious Indigenous Protected Area network.
This practical commitment will give Indigenous land and sea management organisations around Australia more certainty to plan for the long term to manage fire, tackle feral animals, protect threatened species control noxious weeds and care for cultural sites. And we know these jobs benefit local communities across regional and remote Australia enormously. More stability and certainty of funding will generate stronger results for nature and people.
I am one of over 100 000 Country Needs People supporters calling for more long term funding of Indigenous rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas and your announcement is a welcome one. However, Australia is a huge country and environmental threats just as big. We need more Indigenous rangers working on Indigenous Protected Areas and beyond to care for country.
In thanking you for this great step I want to strongly encourage the Morrison government to commit to growing the funding for Indigenous rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas to better protect our environment, sustain cultural connections and create local jobs that support families and communities.
Once again, I congratulate you on your announcement from last week and look forward to seeing more positive announcements in the future.
P.S. In these challenging times for community safety and the economy resulting from Coronavirus, there is no better practical stimulus investment than boosting funding for our fantastic Indigenous Rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas all around Australia, we hope you consider this in the important decisions you will make in coming weeks.