Walking Together – Cultural Knowledge and Conversation
Burbangana Group
Capacity to Deliver - LEP_23 _033_NCRLN_12
The issue
The Aboriginal Partnerships Program, a key initiative within the NSW Landcare Enabling Program 2023-2027, seeks to strengthen connections and foster genuine partnerships between Landcare groups and Aboriginal communities. While the program aspires to increase Aboriginal participation, enhance opportunities for cultural engagement with Country, and improve environmental and cultural outcomes, there remains a significant challenge in ensuring the co-design process is culturally safe, inclusive, and genuinely collaborative.
The solution
In March 2025, the North Coast Regional Landcare Network (NCRLN) under the Landcare Enabling Program 2023 -2027 formalised an agreement with Local Land Services to contribute regional expertise, local knowledge, and on-ground experience toward the design of Landcare NSW’s Aboriginal Partnerships and Engagement Framework. Leveraging NCRLN’s proven capacity to engage meaningfully with local Aboriginal communities, support statewide Landcare programs and employ Aboriginal identified roles, this partnership aims to ensure the Framework is culturally informed, community-led, and practically grounded. The project, titled “Walking Together – Cultural Knowledge and Conversation,” is underway with key involvement from NCRLN staff, Aboriginal Landcare Officer Michael Kennedy and Bridget Kent Regional Projects Operations Manager. An external consultant, Jacquie Pearce of the Burbangana Group has been engaged to provide further input and guidance to strengthen delivery, and a casual project support officer has also been employed and is based in Port Macquarie to assist with coordination.
The impact
This collaborative approach will have a significant impact by contributing to the development of a framework that promotes culturally safe workplaces within Landcare regions across NSW. It marks a pivotal shift toward more meaningful engagement with Aboriginal communities and the recognition of traditional ecological knowledge in contemporary land management practices. The Aboriginal Partnerships and Engagement Framework is emerging as a vital bridge connecting conventional Landcare methods with the deep-rooted wisdom of thousands of years of Aboriginal land stewardship. Its implementation will help to reshape how Landcare operates, fostering more inclusive, respectful, and sustainable environmental outcomes across both the North Coast and the wider state.