Working on Country - frequently asked questions
Working on Country general questions
I've heard about an Indigenous Ranger Program – is this the same as Working on Country?
Yes. The Australian Government made an election commitment to employ up to an additional 300 Indigenous rangers, as part of an Indigenous Economic Development Strategy. We will deliver on this commitment through Working on Country.
How does Working on Country fit in with Caring for our Country?
From 1 July 2008, Working on Country will be one element of the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country initiative.
Caring for our Country brings together a number of previous Australian Government programs into an integrated package. This includes: the Natural Heritage Trust, the National Landcare Program, the Environmental Stewardship Program, and Working on Country.
The goal of Caring for our Country is: "An environment that is healthy, better-protected, well-managed, resilient, and provides essential ecosystem services in a changing climate".
Do we have to apply for funding every year?
No. If your application is successful, we may offer you a contract for up to five years to provide certainty and stability for your land and/or sea management group.
Applying for funding
Who can apply?
You can get apply if you are:
- an Indigenous group or organisation wanting to do work on country; and/or
- an Indigenous organisation that is legally incorporated that can manage the contract; or
- a not-for-profit body that is legally incorporated in Australia that can act as a contract manager for an Indigenous group or organisation; or
- a local government authority or a natural resource management body that can act as a contract manager (however works that are considered part of the local government's normal responsibility are not eligible).
Non-Indigenous groups or organisations must demonstrate support from the relevant Indigenous community group and/or Traditional Owner/s to jointly undertake the project.
We are a state government agency – can we apply for funding or manage a contract?
No. You are not eligible to apply for funding if you are an Australian, state or territory government department or agency.
In certain circumstances, we may consider such authorities or agencies being approved to undertake contract management. Please ring and talk to us about this.
Our Indigenous organisation wants to do the on-ground work – can someone else manage the contract for us?
Yes. The contract manager must be a legally incorporated body, and may include:
- a not-for-profit body that is legally incorporated in Australia, or
- a local government authority or a natural resource management body.
I have an existing Working on Country project – can I apply?
No. If you currently receive funding through Working on Country, you are not eligible to apply in 2008-09 for an increase in funding or an extension of the contract period for your current project.
We will discuss your potential future funding needs, that is, extending the size and/or timeframe of your current project, in future funding rounds. At that time, any variation of current projects will be subject to funding availability and assessed on the extent to which your project has delivered against its contracted activities.
If you have any immediate concerns about this, please talk with your departmental project officer. We have taken this approach to give new projects the opportunity to commence in 2008-09.
Land and sea tenure
Will Working on Country fund work on private land?
Yes, in some cases. While Working on Country is focused on Indigenous-held land, we will consider projects on private lands where:
- an Indigenous individual, group or organisation has a written access agreement with the landholder;
- there is demonstrated Indigenous support for the project;
- the environmental activities proposed are not the primary responsibility of the landholder;
- the landholder contributes toward the total cost of the project in cash and/or in-kind contributions; and
- the environmental activities meet at least one of the key focus areas identified for 2008-09.
Will Working on Country fund work on Australian Government or state/territory government land or marine waters?
No. Working on Country funds cannot be spent on land which is owned or managed by states, territories or local governments. In these cases environmental outcomes are the responsibility of the government which owns or manages the land as part of their normal business. A range of sea tenures will be eligible for funding. Initially this will exclude sea country managed as a declared marine park by the Australian, state or territory government.
Will Working on Country fund work in Australian, state/territory government conservation reserves where co-management agreements are in force?
No, not for the 2008-09 funding round.
Funding environmental outcomes in these areas is the responsibility of the relevant protected area management authority.
However, we are interested in discussing partnership and co-investment opportunities with Australian, state or territory environment agencies and authorities for future funding rounds.
Pre-requisites for funding
Are there any pre-requisites for funding?
Yes, the area where the project will be carried out must have a current environmental management plan. This plan must be at an appropriate scale for the work that you want to do. Generally, this will be at a local property scale, rather than a regional scale. It needs to be detailed enough to provide a framework for the activities that you want to undertake.
It might be:
- a property management plan that includes actions for protecting natural and/or heritage values
- a land or sea country plan
- a plan for particular environmental values that you want to protect and manage. Such a plan could identify on ground activities to manage weeds, feral animals, and fire or heritage sites.
Can I use a regional catchment plan or my communities’ business plan?
The plan must be specific to the area of land or sea that your project will cover, and be relevant to the work that you want to do.
Generally, regional plans (such as catchment plans or regional natural resource management plans) are very broad, and do not provide enough specific direction for the work that you want to do on the ground. Business plans and strategies can also be very broad. For example, ‘protecting the natural values of Waa Valley’ or ‘controlling weeds across the Que Catchment’ are broad statements that do not provide any guidance on what you want to achieve and how you will do it.
Each plan will be considered on a case-by-case basis, so please call us if you want to check whether your plan would be suitable.
Project activities
What activities will Working on Country fund?
Working on Country will fund projects that make a contribution to protecting and managing Australia’s environment in one of three broad areas:
- Keeping country healthy: undertaking work to identify, conserve, maintain, manage and repair the lands. Key focal areas are:
- threatened species, ecological communities and their habitats
- culturally or regionally significant species, ecological communities and their habitats
- weeds, feral animals or diseases of national concern
- wetlands of national and international significance, including inland rivers
- migratory species, including migratory waterbirds.
- Looking after sea country: undertaking work to identify, conserve, maintain and manage sea country. Key focal areas are:
- threatened species and their habitats
- culturally or regionally significant species and their habitats.
- Protecting heritage: undertaking work to identify, protect, conserve and celebrate Australia’s Indigenous heritage. Key focal areas are:
- places on the National Heritage List
- Indigenous heritage values that Indigenous communities have identified in an existing environment or heritage plan.
For more information about the types of activities that we might fund see the
Will Working on Country fund:
- Heritage tourism work? This would probably not be funded, unless the proposed activities are clearly linked to an environmental outcome we wish to purchase and don’t involve direct commercial enterprise.
- Community bush gardens / native gardens? No. These activities are not likely to meet the intent or scale of the environmental outcomes that the Australian Government is seeking.
- Research? Yes, we can provide funding for Indigenous people to undertake environmental or cultural research (e.g. surveys) as part of a broader set of activities where this work will clearly improve our knowledge about the environment, including land, seas and heritage, and assist its management.
Funding
How much funding is available for Working on Country in 2008-09?
Up to $6 million will be available for on-ground work in 2008-09.
Is there a limit to how much we can apply for?
No. You can apply for any amount of funding, and funds can be provided for up to five years. You will need to provide half-yearly and yearly performance reports to let us know how your project is going, and payment of funds will be linked to these reports.
Can Working on Country funds contribute to Regional Partnership Agreements (RPAs) and/or Shared Responsibility Agreements (SRAs)?
Yes. While it is not a requirement that Working on Country funding be part of SRAs or RPAs, we can deliver funding using these frameworks if the outcome of the agreement meets the required environmental outcomes.
Can we use program funding to build on projects that are already underway?
Yes, provided the activity meets program guidelines then it should be eligible. However we will not ‘double fund’ or provide resources for something that is already being funded from elsewhere.
We will not fund any projects already completed or underway. If you apply for funding you should not begin your project dependent on Working on Country funding until the Funding Agreement is negotiated and signed. We will not back-pay wages or other costs.
When can I start my project?
If you are successful you could anticipate commencing Working on Country project activities in December 2008.
You can start your project once the contract is signed and returned and all conditions of funding set out in the contract are met. Funding will usually be paid within four weeks of receiving the completed documents and your tax invoice.
Other sources of funding
Key
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