- Creation of 816,000 hectares of new national parks under Plan for Our Parks to form part of Australia's biggest monolith
- New conservation estate to support 16 conservation jobs for Traditional Owners
- Move means 3.5 million hectares of new reserves created under Plan for Our Parks
A monolith that is one-and-a-half times the size of Uluru will be supported by the largest single contribution to Western Australia's conservation estate made under the Cook Labor Government's Plan for Our Parks.
The milestone means an 816,000-hectare parcel of land about four times the size of the Australian Capital Territory will be added to the State's conservation estate in WA's north, with joint management to create new opportunities for Mount Augustus (Burringurrah) to support tourism experiences at Australia's largest rock.
It also means 3.5 million hectares of the Plan for our Parks' target of five million hectares of new reserves has now been created in WA since 2019.
The new national parks are more than 850 kilometres north of Perth and have important cultural values, incorporating waterways associated with the Aboriginal Dreamtime and being home to several threatened flora and fauna species.
As part of the newly created reserves, former pastoral-lease land - purchased for conservation in the 1990s and 2000s as part of the Gascoyne Murchison Strategy - is being added to the Wajarri Yamaji conservation estate in the Gascoyne and Murchison regions.
That includes the proposed Burringurrah (Mount Augustus), Muggon and Dalgaranga national parks and Lakeside Conservation Park.
Under the Indigenous Land Use Agreement, the State Government will partner with Burringurrah and Minangu - two Aboriginal land groups within the Wajarri Yamaji native title determination area - to manage the new and existing national parks.
That means 16 Traditional Owners will be employed as rangers, with eight rangers to be based at Burringurrah, six at the other parks, and two joint management support officers.
As stated by Environment Minister Reece Whitby:
"This is a significant milestone, not only for the Plan for Our Parks initiative, but also for Wajarri Yamaji People.
"It means Wajarri Yamaji Aboriginal Corporation, in partnership with the State Government, will support efforts to manage cultural sites, create job and economic opportunities for Traditional Owners, and improve conservation efforts.
"These efforts will help deliver meaningful outcomes to address Closing the Gap targets and deliver on our commitment to empower Aboriginal Australians in WA."
As stated by Wajarri Yamaji Aboriginal Corporation CEO Jamie Strickland:
"This ILUA provides Wajarri Yamaji People access to be able to manage Wajarri country.
"While it is a partnership approach with the State Government through the Joint Management Bodies, it is clear Wajarri Yamaji cultural knowledge and authority are critical elements to this.
"The ILUA will also provide much needed resources.
"This is what our people have wanted for a long time."
As stated by Burringurrah Joint Management Body chair Rebecca Lockyer:
"The agreement will mean so much for Burringurrah community and the future for our people and the next generations that are yet to come."
As stated by Mining and Pastoral Region MLC Peter Foster:
"I'm proud of the partnerships the Cook Labor Government is forming with Traditional Owners that are creating opportunities for tourism and vital protections for Western Australia's biodiversity.
"This announcement also brings us closer to Plan for our Park's objective of creating 5 million new hectares of conservation estate in WA.
"It's proof only a Cook Labor Government can deliver the environmental conservation Western Australians want and deserve."
