First Nations Rangers

The Hon. L.A. HENDERSON (15:26): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs regarding establishing a community-based Aboriginal ranger program.

Leave granted.

The Hon. L.A. HENDERSON: More than 75 representatives from the South Australian Aboriginal land and sea sector—namely, the Aboriginal rangers, Indigenous protected area managers, Aboriginal land and sea management staff, traditional owner groups and other stakeholders—participated in a two-day workshop last month.

It is my understanding that they have called for the South Australian government to increase its support for community-based Aboriginal rangers and caring for country programs. They highlighted that, unlike Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, the South Australian government has not yet developed a dedicated program to support community-based Aboriginal land and sea management. My questions to the minister are:

1. Is the Malinauskas government intending to develop a strategy to establish a South Australian community-based Aboriginal ranger program and to invest in measures to support new and existing teams and the South Australian network?

2. If so, when will the government do so and what will developing the strategy entail?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:28): I thank the honourable member for her question in relation to ranger programs and the involvement of Aboriginal people in South Australia.

I am very pleased that it was a fundamental election commitment to significantly increase the number of Aboriginal rangers in our national parks. I have been very pleased on at least two occasions I can think of to attend events with the Minister for Environment, the member for Port Adelaide, the Deputy Premier, the Hon. Sue Close, that have been about Aboriginal rangers in our national parks, one at Belair National Park and one down here on the Torrens, talking about the involvement—the very significant increase of involvement—of Aboriginal people in the management of national parks.

This election commitment make sense. For millennia, Aboriginal people have been caring for our environment, caring for the natural world, and for tens of thousands of years have understood the equilibrium that is needed to sustain the world that supports us, something that in 187 comparatively short years has changed dramatically in South Australia and the colony that preceded it. So it is a source of great pride that this government has made that significant investment in increasing the number of rangers in our national parks.

In relation to other Indigenous ranger programs, I know that in Indigenous protected areas across the state there is significant federal funding for community-based ranger programs, whether that be from the West Coast of South Australia up to the APY lands where just outside the community of Mimili there is a very significant Indigenous protected area where federally funded Indigenous ranger programs operate.

I know at the recent event that the honourable member referred to, my understanding is that the Minister for Environment, the Hon. Sue Close, was part of that and spoke at the event, and I think other attendees included other members of this chamber. The Hon. Tammy Franks, I believe, was in attendance at that event. It is something that is important to this government; I know it is important to the Hon. Tammy Franks. The Hon. Tammy Franks has organised a number of meetings that both the Deputy Premier and I have attended on this very issue.

Yes, we are aware of the need for Aboriginal people to be more involved with caring for country and it something that this government has taken very active steps on already.