Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders live 10 - 17 years less than non-Aboriginal Australians and the infant mortality rates are more than twice than the rest of the population. We need to close the gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Issues.

One way to begin to close the gap is to fund Indigenous Protected Areas so that First Nation people can access jobs to care for their own country.

Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) are lands owned by Indigenous people and voluntarily managed for conservation. There are currently 60 declared IPAs, covering land three times the size of Victoria! IPAs are recognised as providing real social, cultural and environmental benefits through providing employment, protection of country and cultural connection to land. But IPA's are under threat. 

IPAs are under threat by the Federal Government who are stripping funding for the Caring for Country and IPA programs. IPAs have NO secure funding after 2018. 

Friends of the Earth stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities who are living on country and managing country and call on the Government to allocate long-term adequate funding to the IPA, Indigenous Ranger and Caring for Country programs.

‘Country Needs People’ has been campaigning to encourage the federal Government to:

1. Double funding for Indigenous rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas by 2020;
2. Commit to longer term funding for Indigenous rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas; and
3. Support a national target of 5000 Indigenous land and sea management jobs by 2030.

Full details available here.

For further information, please email Morgana: [email protected]