5 COMMITMENTS TO CARING FOR COUNTRY AND HOW THEY'RE TRACKING

Caring for and maintaining Healthy Country is at the core of so many vital aspects of our lives. Our health, economy and future thrives when nature is made a priority by those who can supercharge positive change, yet it is under threat like never before.  

Choosing Nature means choosing a secure, thriving future for all through policies designed to safeguard our environment, our economy, and our communities for tomorrow. A Nature Positive future means halting nature decline by 2030, and forging pathways towards restoration. This means thriving ecosystems, a stable climate, and a healthy planet for future generations. 25 percent of land in Australia (192 million hectares) is under some form of Indigenous management, so delivering on policies that support Indigenous-led, co-designed and supported land management is a key part of that journey forward.

First Peoples have, and always will have a commitment to caring for Country. By Choosing Nature, we can continue to have the resources needed to expand that care into the future.

As we look towards the future, we take a look at 5 of the Australian Government’s current commitments to Caring for Country and how they're tracking.

1. Expanding the Indigenous Rangers Program

In October 2024, the Albanese Government announced it is investing a total of $1.3 billion to 2028 in the Indigenous Rangers Program with aims to double the number of Indigenous rangers by the end of the decade.

The federal government's commitment to double Indigenous Ranger positions to 1,800 full-time equivalents by 2030 has shown promising early momentum. Through 2023-24, funding allocations supported the creation of approximately 200 new positions across various Indigenous ranger groups. 

Notable developments included the expansion of ranger programs in the Kimberley region and Cape York Peninsula. However, to reach the 2030 target, the program needs to maintain a consistent growth rate of approximately 150-200 new positions annually. Organisations like Country Needs People have highlighted the need for additional support infrastructure, including training programs and equipment, to ensure the program's sustainability.

A recent report shows that having more Indigenous Rangers caring on Country will have the following benefits:

• more burning using cultural practices
• fewer dangerous fires
• fewer noxious weeds
• fewer feral animals
• better threatened species management. 
• positive community, social and economic outcomes

The same report found that Indigenous land and sea management delivers up to a three dollars’ worth of environmental, social and economic value for every one dollar spent. So by that calculation, the federal government’s commitment of $1.3 billion dollars could lead to $3.9 billion dollars of environmental, social and economic value being delivered by 2030.

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2. Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) Funding Boost

The Australian Government has committed $231.5 million to the IPA Program from July 1, 2023, to June 2028. Delivering this would fulfill the Government's pledge to increase annual funding for IPAs by $10 million each year.

The commitment to increase IPA funding by 50% has seen partial implementation. According to the official Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) website, “the Australian Government is providing $231.5 million over 5 years from 1 July 2023 to continue and improve the IPA program”. 

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek recently announced a $250 million investment over five years towards a Saving Australia's Bushland program, including support for new IPAs.

There are currently 87 dedicated IPAs that make up 50 per cent of Australia’s National Reserve System, managed for the benefit of all Australians.

By early 2024, the government had allocated additional funding to existing IPAs, with several new areas under consultation for declaration. A significant development was the dedication of funds for marine IPAs along the northern Australian coastline. 

However, Indigenous organisations have noted that infrastructure and operational support haven't kept pace with the expanded funding. The government has responded by initiating a review of IPA operational requirements to ensure the funding increase achieves maximum impact. 

According to the review, despite IPAs delivering significant and measurable social, economic and other benefits, “funding and support are too low for many IPAs, and people are often choosing to work without pay for the love of Country.”

WWF-Australia is calling on the federal government to allocate at least $1 billion a year ongoing to key conservation goals such as resourcing the  Indigenous Rangers Program and Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs). This includes investment for effective management of Australia’s IPAs and support for First Nations communities to manage Country.

3. Heritage Protection Framework Reform

The Federal Government has announced its commitment to reforming current legislation (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984), but progress has been extremely slow. 

Following the tragic destruction of the sacred Pilbara rock shelter Juukan Gorge in 2020, reform efforts to protect Indigenous heritage have progressed slowly but steadily. Key proposed changes include mandatory Indigenous consultation periods, stronger penalties for heritage destruction, and enhanced protection for intangible cultural heritage. However, state-federal coordination remains a challenge, with ongoing discussions about jurisdictional responsibilities. 

$17.7 million in the 2024-2025 Federal Budget has been allocated to help reduce the backlog of complex applications and progress the reform of Australia’s cultural heritage laws. There has been no new meaningful developments federal legislation reform, however changes have been proposed in consultation with First Nations groups, mining companies, and heritage experts. 

The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 (a response to the Juukan Gorge disaster) was introduced in WA then repealed just over a month after it was brought into effect. A key sticking point was the desire to retain the stipulations of the 1972 Aboriginal Heritage Act that allow greater flexibility on a “lack of knowledge” defence, as in a person or party responsible for the damage can rely on this defence where they can prove that they "did not know and could not reasonably be expected to have known" that the place or object damaged was one to which the Aboriginal Heritage Act applies. That being said, the public availability of information on sites where the Act applies is far greater than in 1972, as are  the expectations on persons or parties to conduct due diligence.

Indigenous leaders have expressed concern about the pace of Heritage Protection Framework reform, though they acknowledge the complexity of aligning multiple stakeholder interests. 

Cultural heritage sites of immense importance to First Nations peoples have been damaged or lost due to insufficient nature and cultural heritage protection laws. 

The current Government was elected with a commitment to reform Australia’s environmental and cultural heritage laws, prompted by a critical independent review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. 

However, five years after this review, there has been no progress on the essential reforms needed to safeguard our vulnerable environment . WWF-Australia urges the new Government to prioritise and fully implement these reforms as a matter of importance in the first year of Parliament. This includes protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage from development impacts.

4. Cultural Water Rights Implementation

The federal government has made a number of cultural water-focussed commitments over the last 10 years, including the $100 million Murray–Darling Basin Aboriginal Water Entitlements Program and the $20 million Cultural Flows for Cultural Economies program.

Currently, despite having Native Title claim to over 40% of Australian land, First Nations groups own and control less than 0.2 per cent of water in Australia. First Peoples also control less than 0.02 of groundwater in the Murray-Darling Basin. 

Though the draft of the new National Water Agreement was updated in 2024, there has been limited meaningful movement in this area. It remains in draft form despite the Australian Government committing to renew the National Water Initiative (NWI) in 2022. There was recent significant consultation undertaken to update the draft, so the commitment appears to remain a priority. 

The delivery of the $100 million Murray–Darling Basin Aboriginal Water Entitlements Program has also faced significant challenges. The initial commitment of $40 million made in 2018 remained unspent prior to the $100 million increase in August 2024. It is unclear what of the $100 million has been spent to date and what if anything it has been spent on. While the government reaffirmed its commitment to the initiative, implementation has been complicated by drought conditions and competing water demands in the Murray-Darling Basin. 

The government has announced they’re working with First Nations in the Murray–Darling Basin to design the $20 million Cultural Flows for Cultural Economies program. This is in addition to the $100 million Murray–Darling Basin Aboriginal Water Entitlements Program.

From early-April 2025, applications will open for grants of up to $300,000 to help First Nations of the Murray-Darling Basin with Cultural flows planning work. This includes:

• developing Cultural flows plans
• enhancing governance structures to support a Nation’s water-based aspirations
• developing plans to support water-based businesses.

On July 15 2024, the federal government launched a round of water buybacks, aiming to acquire 70 gigalitres from willing sellers in the southern Murray-Darling Basin to restore environmental flows under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

However, Murray-Darling Basin water advocacy group representatives have noted that this water purchase was driving up prices before the government had even entered the market to secure water for Aboriginal Water Entitlement projects.

As a result, the amount of water that can be purchased through the Aboriginal Water Entitlement Program could be up to 30 percent less than what could have been acquired eight months ago for the same $100 million.

The current status of cultural water rights implementation has highlighted the need for better integration of First Nations water rights into existing water management frameworks. Traditional Owner groups have called for accelerated implementation and greater involvement in water governance decisions.

5. Traditional Knowledge Protection Legislation

The Australian Government has pledged to implement new laws aimed at safeguarding First Nations traditional knowledge and cultural expressions also known as 'Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property' (ICIP). 

These measures will also address the harm caused by counterfeit art, merchandise, and souvenirs. According to the Office of the Arts official website, “This commitment to develop new laws through a First Nations-led process was announced in the National Cultural Policy, Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place on 30 January 2023.”

This initiative has seen substantial preliminary work but as of now, no actual legislation is in place. By early 2024, consultation processes were underway with First Nations communities to develop the framework for standalone legislation. Working groups had been established to address key areas including intellectual property rights under ICIP,  benefit-sharing mechanisms, and enforcement protocols. 

International examples, particularly from New Zealand and Canada, were being studied to inform the Australian approach. However, the complexity of codifying diverse Traditional Knowledge systems into legislation has necessitated extended consultation periods. For now, there are solid best practice guidelines available to assist those seeking to properly respect ICIP as part of their processes.

Looking Forward

While progress has been made across all five commitments, long roads and expanding collaborative efforts to ramp up change lie ahead. The Indigenous Rangers program appears to be making positive steps forward, while heritage protection reform and Traditional Knowledge and cultural water legislation face more complex challenges. 

Critical success factors for future progress across all above commitments include:

• Maintaining consistent funding across electoral cycles
• Grow and enhance Indigenous Ranger roles through: 
  • A commitment to create and employ 5,000 Indigenous ranger roles by 2030.
  • A commitment to achieve gender equity in the Indigenous ranger program by 2026. 
  • Ensuring rangers are provided with the opportunity to assume responsibilities for enforcement and compliance activities on their Land and Sea Country. Ensuring the national Rangers award meets at least the minimum wage.
• Strengthening coordination between federal, state, and territory governments
• Dedicate $10 million over four years to expand and fund a national Indigenous Women Rangers’ Network
• Ensuring First Nations leadership and communities are meaningfully engaged in decision-making processes
• Establish a Commissioner for Country
• Better include First Nations perspectives in threatened species recovery by:
  • Integrating First Nations’ perspectives and knowledge in Australia’s threatened species recovery by funding First Nations recovery positions
  • Investing in Indigenous-led research that supports the recognition of culturally-significant entities through better State of Environment reporting processes
• Developing strong monitoring and evaluation frameworks
• Building capacity within Indigenous organisations to manage expanded programs

These initiatives represent significant steps toward Choosing Nature, recognising and protecting Indigenous rights and knowledge in Australia. However, their success will ultimately be measured not just by meeting numerical targets, but by their contribution to Indigenous self-determination and cultural preservation.

Nature is so interconnected to everything that makes life the sacred journey that it has been for millenia. It is part of who we are and matters to us all. We must protect it for tomorrow.

This year is critical for our environment. 

Please, send a message to your political leaders to Choose Nature and secure a thriving future for all.