Northern Australia Indigenous
Ranger Coordinators Workshop

Darwin, June 7–8 2012

Workshop Outcomes Report

© Commonwealth of Australia 2012

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Public Affairs, GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 or

Every effort was made by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities to obtain consent from individuals, parents/carers and Indigenous community and organisation representatives for the photographs in this book. Please be aware this book may contain images and names of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have passed away.

Layout and typesetting:
Looking Glass Press

Front cover, from left to right:

Senior Djelk rangers participating in the conflict resolution activity: IPNW Section staff

Dry Season on Salmond River, Home Valley Station, WA: Dave Munday

Northern Australia Indigenous Ranger Coordinator’s Workshop participants listening intently: IPNW Section staff

Orchid at Wattleridge: Jason Patterson

Workshop participant, Thomas King: IPNW Section staff

Burning country in Central Australia: Richard Brittingham

BoabsMiriuwungGajerrong Country, WA: Dave Munday

Back cover, from left to right:

Breakout session: IPNW Section staff

Networking dinner sunset: IPNW Section staff

Workshop participant, John Papple: IPNW Section Staff

The road home from work Friday afternoon: Matt Salmon

Workshop participant, Alice Naagy: IPNW Section Staff

Contents

Background to the Workshop...... 2

Workshop Summary...... 3

Summary of Actions Arising ...... 5

Maintaining a Safe Work Environment:
Working with the new national WHS legislation ...... 7

Indigenous Leadership ...... 9

Problem Solving Day to Day Management Tasks...... 11

Developing a Northern Coordinator Network...... 16

References...... 18

Appendix 1:
Northern Coordinator Workshop Agenda...... 19

Appendix 2:
Workshop Attendees...... 22

Appendix 3:
Useful Websites...... 26

Background
to the Workshop

A ranger coordinator is an individual, often employed from outside the community, who works with Indigenous land and sea managers to develop and implement programs. There is a strong reliance on coordinators to act as the interface between the Indigenous groups and government agencies and other organisations.

As literacy and numeracy levels are generally low in remote Indigenous communities, coordinators play an integral role in obtaining funding, securing fee-for-service work, managing paperwork and communicating outcomes. Ranger coordinators also perform a project management function, working alongside Indigenous land and sea managers to plan and implement cultural and natural resource management (Putnis et al, 2007). Coordinators are not intended to be managers or directors of Indigenous land and sea management groups, but rather to facilitate opportunities, resources and projects for the group.

Ranger coordinators face many challenges. There are rarely comprehensive induction programs for the scope of the work they undertake, and balancing the administrative and on-ground tasks associated with their role. Given the highly dispersed nature and heavy workloads of ranger coordinators, it is difficult for them to network with fellow coordinators in the absence of a designated forum.

The aim of the Northern Australia Indigenous Ranger Coordinator’s Workshop was to address the gap in opportunities for coordinators to share experiences, ideas and build networks as identified in the Caring for Our Country Review. The agenda (see Appendix 1) was developed in consultation with coordinators and addressed key issues including:

  • New workplace health and safety responsibilities
  • Promoting Indigenous leadership
  • Working to achieve environmental outcomes
  • Maintaining work / life balance in a demanding role
  • Opportunities for mentor support programs
  • Examples of systems for coordinator relief
  • Problem solving day to day management challenges
  • Developing a northern coordinator network

Workshop Summary

Over 90 coordinators and program support staff representing ranger groups from across the AnanguPitjantjatjaraYankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia attended the Northern Australia Indigenous Ranger Coordinator’s Workshop in Darwin on 7 and 8 June 2012. The two day workshop was facilitated by Future Creation’s Dave Munday around the central principles of fostering participation, sharing and learning.

With a collective 402 years experience of working with Indigenous rangers in the room, discussions were rich with strong sharing of knowledge leading to insightful recommendations featured in this report.

The workshop opened with a discussion of coordinator expectations for the event and what they hoped to get out of it. This discussion provided a benchmark of achievements to complete over two days which included:

  • opportunities to meet new contacts and build better networks
  • discovering innovative strategies to assist in the management of groups by gaining expert knowledge from others
  • identification of stress management indicators and ideas of how to maintain mental health
  • interpretation of the new National Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation and how these rules and regulations apply to ranger groups
  • sharing approaches that groups use to promote leadership amongst rangers.

As participants became engaged in the sessions reoccurring themes soon emerged across many agenda items. Most notably these were:

  • cross cultural training (both ways)
  • staff capacity building
  • strong organisational governance
  • use of appropriate language
  • remoteness / accessibility of resources
  • establishment of information and resource sharing networks.

Reference to these themes can be found throughout this document. The themes also featured prominently in the evaluation data and recommendations for future events. Specifically participants identified that they want opportunities to:

  • interact with job service providers and other agencies who can provide additional support to building the capacity of ranger groups through training and other initiatives
  • have access to organisations and government departments who can provide cultural support
  • discuss cross cultural ideas, share scenarios and brainstorm two-way learning strategies
  • further explore opportunities for ranger development
  • influence organisational fair work practices and accountability of senior management in some Aboriginal corporations
  • seek the assistance of SEWPAC staff in helping address issues that are beyond ranger coordinator control.

Participants found the opportunity to share ideas and experiences in this kind of forum to be valuable and would like to see the workshop become an annual initiative that rotates hosting responsibilities across the northern region. From this inaugural Northern Australia Indigenous Ranger Coordinator’s Workshop participants have identified that they would like future agendas to have a stronger emphasis on coordinator presentations and sharing stories. They have also identified the desire to build an ongoing Northern Australia Indigenous Ranger Coordinator’s Network that allows coordinators to communicate easily with one another and support each other in their largely isolated roles.

This report contains discussion summaries and actions from the group discussion sessions. It is important to note that some sessions are not included because they were presentations only. A copy of presentations is available to interested parties through the Indigenous Programs North West team at

Summary
of Actions Arising

Immediate Actions

Action / Responsibility
Templates for workplace health and safety assessments and information to be collated and forwarded to the coordinator network for adaption and use. DAFF, NRETAS, Central Land Council and Northern Land Council to distribute available information and templates via SEWPAC staff. / DAFF, NRETAS, CLC, NLC, SEWPAC
SEWPAC staff to circulate a contact list of all northern Australia Indigenous ranger coordinators, including those unable to attend
this forum, to all coordinators. / SEWPAC

Medium-term Actions

Action / Responsibility
SEWPAC staff to develop a fact sheet on the new WHS legislation, drawing out responsibilities of rangers and ranger coordinators. This fact sheet will be in plain English to make it easier for groups to understand and translate in local languages where required. / SEWPAC
Coordinators to talk to rangers and Traditional Owners to get a
better understanding of individual and group leadership desires.
This information will feed into succession planning activities and meetings with senior management to establish leadership pathways. / Ranger Coordinators
SEWPAC staff to explore avenues for support of the Northern Australia Ranger Coordinator Network, including financial
assistance for ongoing workshops. / SEWPAC
Medium-term Actions (cont.)
Action / Responsibility
Kimberley Land Council staff to research opportunities for online networks with the assistance of SEWPAC staff as required. These options will be shared with the all coordinators before finalising the online forum structure. / KLC, SEWPAC
Coordinators to encourage community involvement in the development of ranger work plans and their implementation.
This may be through an advisory committee, community meetings, cross-generational walks on country or other avenues depending
on the community. / Ranger Coordinators
Members of the network to create a shared database of public and private sector training providers that will allow coordinators to better identify suitable and preferred training providers. Delegation of who will be responsible for developing the template is to be advised. / Ranger Coordinators, SEWPAC
(if assistance is requested)

Long-term Actions

Action / Responsibility
Coordinators to work with SEWPAC staff and other partner organisations to identify ongoing support and resources required to ensure ranger groups are complying with WHS legislative requirements and providing a safe working environment for all staff. / Ranger Coordinators, SEWPAC
Coordinators to work with SEWPAC staff and other partner organisations to identify ongoing support and resources required to establish culturally appropriate leadership pathways. / Ranger Coordinators, SEWPAC
Members of the network to share resources including planning templates and visual communication tools as they are developed. This will allow for coordinators to better balance work priorities
and will limit the need to duplicate work that is transferrable
across ranger programs. / Ranger Coordinators
SEWPAC Working on Country project managers to continue to
work closely with groups, identifying targeted investments required based on individual group needs. / Ranger Coordinators, SEWPAC

Maintaining a Safe Work Environment: Working with the new national WHS legislation

Presentation by Gordon Sanders, SEWPaC

On 1 January 2012, the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cwlth) and the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cwlth) took effect and have replaced:

  • the Occupational Health and Safety
    Act 1991
  • the Occupational Health and Safety
    (Safety Standards) Regulations 1994
  • the Occupational Health and Safety
    (Safety Arrangements) Regulations 1991

This aim of this session was to discuss these legislative changes; the implications for Indigenous ranger groups across Australia; and strategies for how groups can ensure they meet the new legislative requirements.

Discussion:

Coordinators identified that many of them feel it is a daunting task to respond to WHS legislation. Indigenous ranger groups operate in highly remote areas and undertake many activities with a high degree of occupational risk. In particular:

  • knowing where to start, developing templates, and finding the time to focus on WHS
  • maintaining safety in absence of coordinators out in the field.
  • They then went on to identify investments required to assist in responding to legislation. These included:
  • culturally appropriate training in WHS that is accessible, set in an appropriate space, and delivered in an appropriate language
  • availability of funds for the purchase of personal protective equipment
  • understanding from government that potential conflicts may arise between cultural lore and government law in applying WHS legislation on ground.

Actions Arising:

Immediate:

Templates for workplace health and safety assessments and information to be collated and forwarded to the coordinator network for adaption and use. DAFF, NRETAS, Central Land Council and Northern Land Council to distribute available information and templates via SEWPaC staff.

Medium-term:

SEWPAC staff to develop a fact sheet on the new WHS legislation, drawing out responsibilities of rangers and ranger coordinators. This fact sheet will be in plain English to make it easier for groups to understand and translate in local languages where required.

Long-term:

Coordinators to work with SEWPAC staff and other partner organisations to identify ongoing support and resources required to ensure ranger groups are complying with WHS legislative requirements and providing a safe working environment for all staff.

Indigenous Leadership

Discussion Led by Facilitator
Dave Munday

Presentations by Michael Schultz, Thamarrurr Rangers and Paul Augustin, Dhimurru Rangers

Many Indigenous ranger coordinators in Australia come from a European background. The Indigenous leadership session was designed to discuss the challenges of creating the right space for Indigenous rangers to step into roles of coordination and how host organisations can develop appropriate avenues for increased responsibility. Putnis et al (2007) highlighted that capacity development, leadership and project management training are key requirements in assisting senior Indigenous rangers step into coordinator roles (if they wish).

Discussion:

The session began with presentations from the Thamarrurr and Dhimurruranger groups on how they encourage Indigenous leadership within their programs, before opening up to a facilitated group discussion.

The primary focus of the group discussion was the need for cultural appropriateness in creating opportunities for Indigenous leadership. Key points raised included the need to:

  • take time to deliver cross-cultural training to new coordinators and/or program support staff
  • create space for leadership when it is desired with clear pathways identified
  • recognise cultural seniority
  • rotate responsibility amongst rangers.

Challenges identified that need to be overcome included:

  • different understanding of leadership in the Indigenous and non-Indigenous worlds
  • family obligations and associated complications
  • resourcing and accessibility to training
  • retention of quality Indigenous leaders.

Suggested avenues of investment to overcome these challenges were:

  • discussions about leadership opportunities in each group to determine the best culturally appropriate pathways for those rangers
  • making funds available for the employment of strong cultural advisors
  • having senior rangers and Traditional Owners act as mentors to the group
  • cycling leadership opportunities to avoid jealousy
  • creating incentives and consequences for ranger actions both in and out of the work
  • engaging a cultural advisory committee made up of senior Traditional Owners to define cultural criteria against increasing leadership levels.

Some ranger coordinators expressed that there was little interest amongst their ranger groups for career progression, and that their groups appeared to be content with maintaining their existing arrangements.

Actions Arising:

Medium-term:

Coordinators to talk to rangers and Traditional Owners to get a better understanding of individual and group leadership desires. This information will feed into succession planning activities and meetings with senior management to establish leadership pathways.

Long-term:

Coordinators to work with SEWPAC staff and other partner organisations to identify ongoing support and resources required to establish culturally appropriate leadership pathways.

Problem Solving Day to Day Management Tasks

Led by Facilitator, Dave Munday, Future Creation

Through the Working on Country program almost 700 Indigenous rangers are employed by 85 ranger groups across Australia.

Like any workplace coordinator, Indigenous ranger coordinators have the responsibility to problem solve day to day management tasks as they arise. For the coordinators attending this forum, daily management problems are exemplified by the remote locality and cultural landscapes of the areas they work in. This session was designed to allow coordinators to highlight the current challenges they face and use the collective knowledge in the room to find solutions to these issues.

Key issues raised were:

  • regular attendance
  • building staff capacity
  • cross cultural training
  • community-based issues
  • balancing work priorities
  • organisational governance
  • attracting government support for new or emerging initiatives.

To cover the breadth of this topic in the time allocated, participants divided themselves into small groups. The small groups then worked together to draw out in detail the root of these issues and to brainstorm strategies that may be put in place to address them.

Discussion:

Regular Attendance

The discussion around regular attendance focused on creating a workplace that employees want to come to and offers incentives. It was noted that in some groups motivation for rangers to attend regularly
is absent.

Strategies identified that could potentially encourage regular attendance included:

  • increasing community education around workplace expectations
  • developing pre-employment programs which include induction, familiarisation and understanding of workplace policies
  • encouraging all members of the community to be involved in the development of the work plan to increase ownership over ranger work activities
  • adapting the program to include morning pickups and breakfast if necessary
  • acknowledging employee achievements and working in rewards or ‘fun time’ to the work plan.

Building Staff Capacity

Building ranger capacity is essential to achieving work plan outcomes and for succession planning to ensure the ongoing sustainability of remote Indigenous ranger groups. Access to culturally appropriate training and ranger support through formal and/or informal mentoring programs were the two interrelated focuses of this discussion.

Strategies identified that could potentially build capacity of rangers included:

  • investigating effective delivery models for training Indigenous staff
  • creating a shared database of public and private sector training providers. This database would be used by the network to identify suitable / preferred training providers
  • seeking opportunities to engage in ranger exchanges with other groups
  • developing a culturally appropriate mentoring program
  • having patience to develop empowerment through time, personal relationships and adequate resourcing of the ranger program.

Cross Cultural Training