Traditional Land Management

Changes to the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976 were passed in parliament on 16 October 2019, providing Aboriginal Rangers more power to manage and protect their land.

The amendments enable Aboriginal Rangers to become ‘conservation officers’ by law, giving them more powers to manage their traditional lands, including against illegal activity and other threats.

The amendments follow extensive consultation with Ranger groups across the Territory, as well as Land Councils and other key stakeholder groups, and are a first in Australia.

Around 1000 Aboriginal Rangers operate across 46 established Aboriginal Ranger groups, protecting 460,000 square kilometres of land, undertaking invaluable work.

The amendments are also in line with the Northern Territory Government's commitment to Local Decision Making, returning decision-making and governance to local communities.

A governance framework will be established to support the new provisions, with work already underway, ensuring Aboriginal Rangers are able to access the training and capability development they need to take on the new powers.

An extensive consultation process has occurred. Readers can download a copy of the previous discussion paper PDF (1.0 MB) and summary factsheet PDF (25.1 KB).