Traditional Owners take buffel grass fight to Canberra as federal decision looms

A delegation of Traditional Owners from across Australia will descend on Parliament House on Thursday calling on the Federal Government to take urgent national action on buffel grass – the invasive weed they say is destroying Country and putting communities at risk of catastrophic fire.

The delegation will meet with crossbench Senators David Pocock and Sarah Hanson-Young ahead of an expected federal decision this month on whether to list buffel grass as a Weed of National Significance (WONS).

Invasive Species Council Indigenous Ambassador Richard Swain and Eastern Arrernte Traditional Owner Camille Dobson will address media at a press conference in Mural Hall at 10.30am.

The push has taken on added urgency after the Federal Government announced it is delaying the Key Threatening Process assessment for buffel by another 12 months. The species was first submitted for assessment in 2024.

Buffel grass – originally introduced to central and northern Australia last century for dust control and livestock production – fuels hotter, bigger, and more frequent fires. It outcompetes native species and has been linked to the decline of more than 30 nationally listed threatened species.

The Indigenous Desert Alliance published the Umuwa statement on buffel grass in 2022 warning the weed was choking Country.

“We cannot take our kids to learn culture, the hunting tracks are covered, and the plants that sustained us for thousands of years are disappearing,” the statement read.

The delegation is calling on the government to recognise buffel as a WONS, list it as a standalone Key Threatening Process under national law, and fund a national buffel coordinator to develop an action plan covering research, regional planning, and on-ground control.

The issue remains deeply contentious. The cattle industry argues buffel is a valuable pastoral grass. The National Party has demanded grazing pastures be carved out from any restrictions. But Traditional Owners and ecologists say the weed is transforming arid landscapes and increasing fire danger to communities and infrastructure.

Richard Swain – writing in the Canberra Times late last year – described the spread of buffel as one of the greatest infections Country has ever seen.

The Northern Territory declared buffel a weed in July 2024 and is currently finalising a Buffel Grass Weed Management Plan for 2026 to 2036.