Northern Australia’s Indigenous Rangers need real support, not funding cuts
The Wilderness Society Inc
Media Release
12 September 2007
The Wilderness Society today backed calls by Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers who are demanding Federal Government funding support following the controversial plan to scrap the Community Development Employment Project (CDEP) announced earlier this year.
It is estimated that approximately 700 Indigenous Australians are employed across Northern Australia as Land and Sea Rangers through the CDEP program.
The decision by the current Commonwealth Government to phase out the CDEP has put at risk a large number of very successful programs that deliver both environmental benefits for all Australians and community benefits for Aboriginal communities.
Northern Australia Campaign Manager, Lyndon Schneiders, said “The Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger program is one of the success stories of Aboriginal Australia. This important program covers the gambit of activities including fire management, coastal protection and weed and feral animal eradication and should be receiving more funding support, not having its funding cut.”
“We call on both Federal Government and Federal Labor to expand the Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger program and to convert part time jobs into full time jobs. This outcome would provide a win-win to both the environment and the people of Northern Australia” he concluded.
For more information, please contact:
Lyndon Schneiders
Cape York and Far-North Australia Campaigner
Workphone: 07 3846 1420
Created: 12 Sep 2007 | Last updated: 12 Sep 2007
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