Working on Country
Having a job as a ranger on my own country has made a big difference. I never thought that it would be possible to find full time work in my own community
Mark Shadforth, Bardi Jawi Ranger, One Arm Point, WA
The Australian Government established Working on Country recognising that protecting and conserving the environment is a shared responsibility and to provide sustainable employment for Indigenous people.
Indigenous people have long-held cultural and traditional responsibilities to protect and manage their land and sea country. They own an estimated 20 per cent of the Australian continent, upon which lies some of our most environmentally precious natural assets and, for Indigenous people, is rich in cultural and spiritual meaning.
Working on Country builds on Indigenous traditional knowledge to protect and manage land and sea country. Over 680 Indigenous rangers across 85 ranger teams are employed across Australia to deliver environmental outcomes. It is expected that around 730 rangers will be trained and employed through Working on Country by June 2016.
News & events
New Indigenous Ranger Positions for the Northern Territory
Call for expressions of interest.
- Find out more - guide for applicants
Southern Australia Working on Country Aboriginal Ranger Forum - April 2012
Over 70 Aboriginal rangers funded through the Working on Country program gathered in April 2012 for the first Southern Australia WOC Ranger Forum. The forum was hosted by Australian Landscape Trust and the Riverland rangers at Calperum Station, near Renmark in South Australia.
Working on Country Photography Competition 2012 - call for entries
Entries are now open for the 2012 Working on Country Photography Competition.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people participating in a Working on Country project, an Indigenous Protected Area or an Indigenous engagement project funded under the Caring for our Country program are invited to submit photos that convey the spirit or feel of their country and their project. The Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities Award category is also open to department staff associated with Indigenous Caring for our Country projects.
- How to enter - entries close 1 June 2012
A selection of photographs will be presented in an exhibition at the Australian National Botanic Gardens Visitors Centre Gallery during NAIDOC week 1-8 July 2012, and also through an online gallery and a printed catalogue. There are six award categories and this year the Competition will introduce an additional Award category for Indigenous women involved in natural resource management initiatives.
Case Studies - Working on Country
Find out more about Working on Country projects:
Economic and employment outcomes of the Working on Country program
Prepared by Allen Consulting Group for the department, this report examines and quantifies the economic and employment outcomes and impacts of the Working on Country Indigenous ranger program.
Register of Cultural Heritage Management Training Providers
The Register of Cultural Heritage Management Training Providers has been developed under the Australian Government's Working on Country program as a resource for Indigenous land and sea managers who want to undertake training in cultural heritage management.
New Indigenous ranger jobs
On 14 November Environment Minister, Tony Burke, and Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, announced an expansion of the Working on Country Indigenous ranger program in the Northern Territory. The expansion will deliver 50 more Indigenous ranger jobs to protect and conserve Australia's environment. Growth in the successful Working on Country program is one of several measures linked to the Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory package.
West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Project Partners win 2011 Banksia Award
Rangers undertaking dry season burning
Five indigenous ranger groups in the Northern Territory are this year's recipients of the 2011 Banksia Award in the Indigenous Caring for Country category, for their groundbreaking work on a greenhouse gas abatement project in Western Arnhem Land.
Nimbin Rocks Aboriginal Rangers Plant 10,000th Tree
Rangers planting the 10,000th tree
