Queensland’s regional NRM organisations are committed to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Our regional NRM sector provides employment for more than 320 people across Queensland, many of them from rural and remote areas. Of these, nearly three percent identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

Regional NRM organisations also employ First Nations people and organisations as community delivery partners. In one year, more than 350 Indigenous people were employed to deliver projects delivering land and sea outcomes across the state That’s more than the number of direct employees within the sector itself.

Regional NRM organisations also focus on engagement, consultation and recognising the value of Traditional ecological Knowledge when working on Country.

In 2020 we produced a fact sheet that outlines our commitment to Indigenous employment in NRM as well as some data and case studies to highlight this work.

One of these case studies profiled outcomes from Cape York where 80 Indigenous participants were engaged on the Cape York Community Seed Collection program.
Established in April 2018, the program attracted pickers from the Cape York communities of Cooktown, Hope Vale and Laura.

Cape York NRM initiated the program to supply locally-collected seed for gully remediation and other environmental regeneration works. Funding from the Australian Government’s Reef Trust investment was instrumental in establishing the project.

View the fact sheet here.