Call to stop inflation impacting Indigenous ranger work
Posted: May 29th, 2023
Country Needs People (CNP), the national not-for-profit supporting Indigenous land and sea management, is urging the Federal Government to make sure inflation does not undermine the important work of Indigenous rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) in looking after Country.
With inflation running at more than seven per cent, CNP is concerned indexation of the Indigenous land and sea sector is not keeping up with inflation and effectively means a cut to their land and sea management efforts, if not addressed.
“We understand Indigenous ranger contracts nationally have an inflation adjustment figure of 1.6% or less per annum which is woefully inadequate,” CNP CEO Patrick O’Leary said. “If something does not change this will equate to millions of dollars of effective cuts across the sector, which will be felt keenly at the grassroots level by every group.”
CNP is calling on the Federal Government to ensure there is an automatic adjustment in the contracts of each Indigenous ranger team – and IPA – to ensure their operating funds do not suffer cuts in real terms, allowing them to have the resources they need to look after Country.
Read more about CNP’s concerns. YMAC’s Land and Sea Management unit provides support for the Nyangumarta rangers program.
