Did you know that since the 1800s it’s been against the law to own an Outback Station in WA and not earn your living from cattle or sheep? Outdated laws are holding people back from diversifying into more modern, profitable and sustainable enterprises that also help care for the land, such as tourism.

Wouldn’t it be great if our laws encouraged new enterprises and jobs, rewarded those that manage their land well, and protected our natural and cultural heritage?

Well, we now have the opportunity to make this a reality.

This year the WA Government is considering historic reforms to Outback laws and together we can convince them to do the right thing. But we need your help so that more people know about this great opportunity.

Decades of historic over-grazing in WA has left an area three times larger than Tasmania in ‘poor condition’, where productivity and the natural balance have been destroyed. A number of inspiring and innovative leaders who run Outback Stations are working hard to turn this legacy around, but they can’t do it alone. After decades of turning a blind eye to over-grazing on publicly-owned pastoral leases (these leases cover an enormous one third of our State), the Government has a responsibility to get behind a new generation of land stewards so they can restore the land to productivity and health. If this is going to happen we need to let our MPs know how important it is to us.

Indigenous Ranger Programs and Indigenous Protected Areas are one of the little known but outstanding success stories of the Outback in recent years.

Providing real jobs in often remote places, these programs combine traditional cultural knowledge, western science and modern technologies to manage and protect our Outback’s natural and cultural heritage.

Through planned actions such as controlling feral animals, managing Outback bush fires and maintaining infrastructure, the remarkably positive benefits have ranged from helping to prevent wildlife extinctions, to delivering significant health and economic outcomes. These programs have transformed both lives, as well as landscapes.

While this has been an extraordinary win-win, there is still far greater potential and need in WA than is currently being realised. However with the support of people like you, we can make Ranger Programs and Indigenous Protected Areas an even greater success story for WA’s Outback and its people.

We’re on a mission to stand up for our Outback, and when it comes to convincing the government to act, numbers count. Join with us, help write the next chapter of our Outback story, and breathe a new lease of life into the heart of our state.