Twenty-one Indigenous rangers will today graduate having completed new compliance training under the federal government’s $30 million Capacity Building for Indigenous Rangers Strategy.
The newest cohort of Indigenous rangers celebrated their successful completion of compliance training today, in a specialist program delivered by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
Federal Leichardt MP Warren Entsch said he was pleased to see this capacity building training delivered in Cairns.
“The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s greatest natural treasures and many of today’s Indigenous ranger graduates get to experience it every day through the important work they do,” Mr Entsch said.
“Indigenous rangers are the eyes and ears in the areas they patrol. They bring local knowledge and insights to their work that allows them to protect and preserve Australia’s unique natural resources.
“I couldn’t be more pleased to see Indigenous rangers being equipped with the qualifications that will provide them with the authority to ensure the protection of land and sea country, a responsibility they have proudly carried out for millennia.
“This is yet another example of the federal government’s unwavering commitment to Indigenous rangers and the achievements of today’s graduates are testament to the success and strength of the Indigenous ranger program.
“I congratulate today’s graduates and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority on the delivery of this ranger initiative. Your communities would be very proud of your achievements.”
Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion congratulated the graduates on completing the training, which provides them with the qualification to be Inspectors able to carry out compliance activities under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
“Indigenous rangers across Australia deliver important environmental, biosecurity, cultural and economic outcomes for remote communities, as well as for Australia more broadly,” Mr Scullion said.
“Indigenous rangers are the eyes and ears in the areas they patrol. They bring local knowledge and insights to their work that allows them to protect and preserve Australia’s unique natural resources.
“Indigenous rangers should have the support to manage their country just like any other rangers and pursue opportunities to expand their role in natural resource management.
“That is exactly what the Coalition’s $30 million Capacity Building for Indigenous Rangers Strategy delivers.
“The Coalition Government is backing Indigenous rangers not only with record levels of funding nationally, but with the necessary support in training for qualifications that will see their capacity to deliver fee-for-service work continue to grow.”
The $30 million Capacity Building for Indigenous Rangers Strategy was launched in 2017 and is a training, development and capability building initiative providing support to Indigenous rangers.
Under the Strategy, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has been funded to train 40 Indigenous rangers in compliance, including the newest cohort of graduates.
Rangers gain the skills and knowledge they need to prepare them for roles in compliance activities and continue to care for land and sea country across Australia.
The Coalition Government is supporting Indigenous Rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas with more than $830 million over 10 years through to 2023.