More than 900 new Indigenous ranger jobs are expected to be created nationwide under Round Two of the Indigenous Rangers Program (IRP) expansion, with 82 new projects set to receive funding.
The National Indigenous Australians Agency said Round Two will invest “over $190 million” across three years (from 2025 to 2028) and will bring 58 new organisations into the Commonwealth IRP.
In the joint media release, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said: “We are getting on with the job of delivering on our commitment to double the number of Indigenous rangers by the end of the decade.”
The Federal Government said Round Two attracted 201 applications and all new projects will include dedicated positions for women rangers – with “approximately half” of the new positions expected to be held by First Nations women.
Senator Murray Watt said the program supports rangers “combining traditional knowledge with contemporary science to care for Country.”
The joint release also provided a state and territory breakdown of new projects: Western Australia (26), Northern Territory (17), New South Wales (16), Queensland (13), South Australia (8), Australian Capital Territory (1), and Victoria (1).
The NIAA said the IRP contributes to Closing the Gap Targets 7 and 8 (youth participation in employment, education or training, and employment rates for adults aged 25–64) and is part of a broader $1.3 billion investment from 2021 to 2028 intended to grow the ranger workforce from 1,900 to 3,800 by 2030.
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