Review of Working On Country and
Indigenous Protected Area Programs
Through Telephone Interviews
FINAL REPORT
Prepared by Dr Dermot Smyth
Smyth and Bahrdt Consultants
PO Box 1202 Atherton Qld 4883
1 Introduction 2
2 Interviews 2
3 Summary of Working on country Interviews 2
4 Summary of Indigenous Protected Areas Interviews 9
Attachment 1: Interview Questions 15
Attachment 2: List of Interview Participants 16
Acknowledgements
I would like to sincerely thank all the representatives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations who participated in the interviews summarised in this report. The interviewees gave generously of their time and thoughtfully shared their experiences of the delivery and impacts of Working on Country (WoC) and Indigenous Protected Areas (IPA) projects around Australia. I have kept my reporting of the interviews as objective as possible and let the words of the interviewees convey the message. On a personal level, however, I found the process of conducting the interviews an enlightening and moving experience and one that I hope contributes to the further strengthening and evolution of both the WoC and IPA programs.
These programs have clearly impacted on individual lives and communities in ways that other Indigenous programs have not. Ranger employment, appropriate training and the establishment of IPAs have been transformative events for the individuals and communities involved, reinforcing for me the significance of caring for country as a propitious niche for many Indigenous people in contemporary Australia. I sincerely hope this very positive message is heard by policy makers and financial decision-makers, and also that the excellent work of the WoC and IPA teams in Canberra and around the country is appropriately recognised.
Dermot Smyth
May 2011
1
Review of WoC and IPA Programs – Final Report on outcomes from telephone interviews
1 Introduction
Smyth and Bahrdt Consultants was contracted to conduct 28 telephone interviews with representatives of Indigenous organisations involved in the delivery of the Commonwealth Government’s Working on Country (WoC) and Indigenous Protected Areas (IPA) programs, as part of the Government’s broader review of its Caring for Our Country program. The Indigenous Policy Branch of the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPaC) developed the interview questions in consultation with independent social researchers, and provided the names and contact details of potential interviewees. Consultant Dermot Smyth conducted the interviews over the period 19 April to 24 May 2011. Some of the recommended interviewees were not available during this period and were substituted by others involved in delivering these programs. The interview questions are provided in Attachment 1; the list of interview participants is provided in Attachment 2.
2 Interviews
SEWPaC initially contacted potential interviewees by email to explain to intent of the review process, with copies of the interview questions attached. The consultant then made email or phone contact with the interviewees to arrange a suitable time for the interviews to take place. The interviews were based on the predetermined questions, but also included broader discussions about the WoC and IPA programs in accordance with the particular interest or experience of each interviewee. The interviews ranged in duration between 20 and 90 minutes, with most lasting about 40 minutes.
Notes were taken during each interview, summarised as dot points and emailed to each interviewee for verification, correction or additional comment. A commitment was also made to email the final report summarising all the interview outcomes to each interviewee at the conclusion of the review process.
Opinions expressed during the interviews are the individual perspectives of the interviewees based on their personal experiences of the WoC and/or IPA programs and provided with the intention of further strengthening these programs. The interview responses should not be regarded as the considered opinions of the organisations to which the interviewees belong.
3 Summary of Working on Country Interviews
Issues and recommendations that emerged during the interviews are summarised in accordance with the themes addressed in each of the interview questions.
3.1 Overall effectiveness of Working on Country
The interviews reveal that WoC is highly effective in providing opportunities for Indigenous Australians to manage their country and culture across a diversity of environments throughout Australia and a range of tenures (Indigenous-owned land as well as state and territory tenures such as national parks and forest reserves). Several interviewees stated that the WoC program is one of the best and most effective programs across the whole spectrum of Indigenous environmental, cultural heritage, health, housing or education programs.
Many of the ranger groups now funded by WoC have built on earlier Community Development Employment Project (CDEP) funding. With the security of funding and full-time employment provided by WoC, rangers are now in a position to develop and implement long term strategies and projects for biodiversity and cultural heritage management. Several interviewees noted that many environmental management activities, such as weed and feral animal control, are only effective through consistent effort over a long period, which was not possible prior to WoC funding.
Many interviewees commented that WoC funding had provided more certainty about the future management and protection of country, which in turn had encouraged Elders to share their traditional knowledge with the rangers, ensuring that this knowledge is applied and transmitted across generations.
Several interviewees noted that WoC had enabled Indigenous people to give effect to their native title determinations by implementing Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs) which had previously been negotiated but had not been effectively resourced or implemented.
Several interviewees noted that the caring for country movement began as Indigenous-driven initiatives, based on cultural rights and obligations strengthened through the recognition of Indigenous land ownership from the 1970s onwards. The WoC program is viewed as a welcome Government response to these Indigenous initiatives, and there is a strong desire to maintain Indigenous control of caring for country priorities while also recognising the need to respond to government priorities.
Many interviewees stressed that the social and community development outcomes from WoC are just as significant as the environmental outcomes, and that greater attention could be given to measuring and supporting these broader outcomes. Social and community development outcomes of WoC reported by interviewees include development of new partnerships with government and non-government agencies, improved physical health,
mental health and self-confidence of rangers, improved school attendance and reduced crime rates.
Several interviewees noted that the benefits of WoC are not just felt locally, but also involve networking between ranger groups, as well as support for emerging groups by the more established groups.
3.2 Jobs and career pathways in environmental management
Most interviewees reported that for many WoC funded rangers this was their first experience of full-time employment, and the first time they had received targeted, personalised training – experiences that have transformed their lives. Individual capacity, self-confidence and self-esteem has improved markedly, and the financial security has improved the lives of rangers’ families.
Interviewees also reported that the transition from CDEP to full-time employment comes with significant human resource management challenges. In addition to having to adapt to the new expectations and requirements of full-time employment, rangers also have to respond to new pressures and expectations from kin and the wider community, including cultural obligations to share financial and other resources. Ranger coordinators spend significant time, effort and emotional energy in supporting the development of good work practices and helping rangers to balance their work, family and community responsibilities. This is an aspect of the coordinators’ role that does not appear to be adequately supported locally and is not specifically addressed through the WoC program.
Interviewees reported that rangers are generally responding well to the opportunities provided to them – there is a high retention rate and strong competition for ranger positions. Over time rangers have the opportunity to progress to more senior positions (team leader, senior ranger or ranger coordinator) and salary increments are also linked with training achievements. Some WoC rangers are hosted with government agencies, giving them broader opportunities for career development.
Interviewees expressed appreciation that WoC funding provides a unique opportunity for community-based, secure employment for people to work on their own country, including country that may now be managed by a government agency. Interviewees also expressed appreciation of the flexibility of WoC funded employment, including full-time, part-time and casual. Several interviewees would like greater flexibility, including the option of transferring positions from one project to another and generally a more flexible approach to contract variations.
3.3 Alternatives to Working on Country
The consistent response was that there is currently no alternative model to achieve the combination of environmental, social, community development and individual capacity-building outcomes that are being achieved through the WoC program. Many interviewees noted that the rangers’ operational budgets are already supplemented to some extent by other funding sources, such as fee-for-service contracts and visitor management, but that total reliance on these sources would risk some of the cultural and biodiversity values currently being managed under the WoC program.
Many interviewees noted that much of the work undertaken by WoC rangers relates to managing environmental and cultural heritage values of importance to the nation – especially where the rangers are contributing to the management of Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs). In recognition of this national role, as well as the contribution WoC is making towards ‘Closing the Gap’ and to economic development in remote areas, it is appropriate that the Commonwealth Government maintains WoC funding over the long term. Several interviewees also acknowledged that in the future, with improved capacity of rangers and improved governance of land and sea management groups, it may be possible to further complement, but not totally replace, WoC funding with investments from other sources.
Some ranger groups currently receive funding or other support from State or Territory programs (such as the Wild River Ranger program in Queensland, or secondment of Parks and Wildlife Rangers or ecologists to IPAs in the Northern Territory), and new opportunities to participate in the carbon abatement economy may emerge in the future. Even where these opportunities occur, however, interviewees stressed that such funding sources did not and would not match the current levels of investment and the environmental and social outcomes provided through WoC funding.
3.4 Training
Interviewees reported that all WoC funded rangers are benefiting from a range of on the job and formalised training and almost all rangers participate in Conservation and Land Management (CALM) courses at Certificate I to IV levels; several rangers have achieved Diplomas in CALM. Training is having a significant positive effect on the capacity of rangers to perform their tasks, and enabling them to increasingly contribute to planning and priority setting.
The balance between practical on the job training and CALM training varies between ranger groups, but all interviewees emphasised the link between training and the requirements of ranger activities, including occupational health and safety. For many rangers these training opportunities are their first experience of employment-related training and interviewees consistently reported the increased levels of self-confidence and self-esteem that have occurred among the rangers.
The range of practical skills delivered to rangers include reptile and snake handling, endangered species monitoring, sand plot monitoring (to determine areas suitable for dog and fox baiting), weed identification, four wheel drive and quad bike training, mechanical training, safe use of chemicals, shipboard safety, coxswains certificate, radio operation, first aid, chainsaw, plant propagation, ethical extermination of pest animals, animal welfare, fire management, firearms training (for feral animal culling), governance training, CyberTracker, helicopter operations, and law compliance among others. In addition, many rangers access bridging courses and numeracy and literacy support in preparation for further training.
Training is delivered through a diversity of formats, personnel and agencies, including TAFE, private providers and partner agencies (e.g. national park agencies).
Interviewees reported a strong interest in ranger employment among school students and expressed the view that improved school attendances were in part the result of possible future ranger employment. Some WoC funded ranger groups have developed partnerships with community schools to provide Junior Ranger programs and/or one-day-per-week ranger traineeships as a formal part of high school curricula. Rangers regularly visit schools as part of their liaison activities.
While training is clearly a critical component of the WoC program, several interviewees stressed the need to ensure that training courses are relevant to rangers’ roles and that they are of a high standard. Concern was expressed by one interviewee that there may be too much emphasis on training and that some training providers do not deliver an acceptable standard of training.
3.5 Environmental protection and management
All interviewees acknowledged both the importance and the challenge of demonstrating the contributions made to the protection and management of the environment. In particular it was noted that it is easier to demonstrate management actions (hectares of weeds sprayed, length of fences erected etc.) than it is to demonstrate environmental outcomes – a challenge shared with all environmental managers. Most interviewees noted that much of the rangers’ work to date was focused on laying the foundations for long term environmental outcomes, such as baseline fauna and flora surveys, establishing monitoring methodologies, raising environmental awareness among school students and the broader community and working with traditional hunters to develop sustainable resource use practices.
Interviewees also expressed a strong interest in boosting their use of new technologies, such as CyberTracker, to more accurately record management actions and environmental outcomes. To this end, interviewees also stressed the importance of partnerships with research institutions, regional Indigenous organisations (such as NAILSMA) and government agencies for data analysis and for support in developing appropriate management strategies. Some interviewees also expressed a desire for greater autonomy in analysing data locally and also for obtaining better feedback from partner agencies to which data is provided.
Notwithstanding the challenges in documenting environmental outcomes, all interviewees expressed confidence that the activities of WoC rangers are providing tangible environmental protection and management benefits, particularly with respect to weed and feral animal management, fire management and developing a better knowledge base about local environments (including the discovery of new species and the extension of species’ ranges), removal of ghost nets and other marine debris, seagrass monitoring, quarantine and biosecurity projects, cultural site management etc. In addition, the activities of rangers provide the opportunity for recording and applying Indigenous knowledge, complementing the acquisition and application of Western scientific knowledge.