Calls mount for SA to expand Aboriginal ranger program

The South Australian government has been urged to follow other states and develop a dedicated community-based program to better support Aboriginal land and sea management.

The call follows a meeting of key Indigenous groups in Adelaide and coincides with Western Australia's decision to boost funding for its Aboriginal ranger program.

Queensland and the Northern Territory also have similar community-based programs.

Queensland supports 200 ranger positions in Aboriginal-run organisations and is investing $25 million a year, the Northern Territory has an eight-year grant program for projects and infrastructure, and Western Australia runs a grants program that has just been extended for another four years.

The WA government has so far invested $66.5 million to create 650 ranger jobs since 2017.

The SA government recently provided $5 million for 15 rangers, but they will work within the state's national parks, not across the broader community.

At the meeting in Adelaide, the SA Aboriginal Rangers group called on Deputy Premier Susan Close and Greens MP Tammy Franks to get behind traditional owners and grow South Australian Aboriginal ranger jobs.

"Aboriginal rangers provide meaningful employment and allow communities to look after country," SA Native Title Services chief executive Keith Thomas said.

"We call on the SA government to develop a strategy with the sector, establish a SA community-based Aboriginal ranger program and to invest in measures to support new and existing teams and the South Australian network.

"This will benefit everyone, not just traditional owners, with healthier country and stronger communities."

The Country Needs People group, an independent not-for-profit with a network of 44 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations that backs Indigenous land and sea management Australia-wide, said such programs were essential to protect nature and sustain culture.

"Community-based Aboriginal ranger teams also provide opportunities for people by creating valued locally supported jobs, enabling individuals to care for their families and generate a positive economic and social return for local communities - and that can be transformative," chief executive Paddy O'Leary said.

Expanding its own ranger program on Friday, the WA government said an extra $11 million would be available in the latest round of grants for projects that explored ways to maximise the program's benefits.

Environment Minister Reece Whitby said the initiative had ensured expert knowledge continued to be passed on in a way that protected both cultural and environmental values.

"All it takes is one idea to make a big difference," he said.

"Together, we're making Aboriginal communities stronger."