WA's Outback is home to some amazing people - who care for the land on behalf of all of us
It's a place of stunning landscapes
Shaped by wind and weather over aeons of geological time
Cared for by people for 50,000 years
From the rugged...
... to the delicate ...
... the Outback needs our care.
But people are leaving the land...
Outdated, unfair laws are holding back people and nature in our Outback, with many families denied the opportunity to diversify their station businesses into new enterprises like tourism and conservation that will help care for the land.
For the Clinch family, who used to run Nallan Station in Mid West WA, reforming outdated Outback laws could have changed everything.
Nallan Station is extraordinary country.
It suffered in decades past from overgrazing, so the Clinch family worked to bring it back to health. But long-promised reforms - that could have delivered opportunities such as carbon farming and helped them care for the land - didn't materialise in time.
"It is with a broken heart that I must move away, as we have come so far in bringing Nallan Station back to health. But I am not going to walk away from the people and communities of Outback WA."
Two years ago, despite all the hard work they'd put into the property, the Clinch family had no choice but to sell Nallan Station and move away.
Since then, there's been progress - some stations are now able to undertake carbon farming and regenerate the bush. But for others, the opportunity is still out of reach.
It's time to modernise WA's Outback laws and support people to move into new enterprises which will allow the heart of our great state to regenerate and thrive.
And pastoralists aren't the only ones calling out for change...
Bush Heritage Australia runs three stations in the southern part of Outback WA.
The properties are now conservation reserves, managed to protect their unique vegetation and wildlife.
But that doesn't mean these properties are empty of people - far from it.
Threats such as feral cats, noxious weeds and uncontrolled fire require hands-on management by dedicated Bush Heritage staff and volunteers.
This important work brings new people into local communities - station managers send their kids to local schools, volunteers visit nearby towns and the properties help draw more tourism dollars into the regions.
Yet the outdated pastoral laws mean these properties are supposed to still run cattle, sheep or goats - despite the new industry of conservation that's now thriving on the former stations.
It's time to write the next chapter of WA's Outback story.
It's time to create a rangelands Diversification Lease to allow Outback families to diversify their pastoral businesses through tourism and other enterprises.
A new form of lease would modernise the outdated Outback laws. It would enable more stations to access carbon farming and help rejuvenate landscapes. It would provide opportunities for Indigenous ranger teams. And it would enhance important conservation work, helping look after the unique landscapes that make the Outback so special.
People in our Outback are forging ahead, doing new things that will enable communities and nature to thrive into the future.
It's time our outdated laws caught up.
With your help, we can write the next chapter of WA's Outback story…
It's crunch time. The key change that our Outback needs is for the WA Government to create a new, modern form of lease: a rangelands Diversification Lease.
But right now this hangs in the balance. Please share this story with your friends and family using the Facebook button below, or send by email.
And make sure you're a "Friend of the Outback" – because right now, every voice counts. Visit OurOutbackOurStory.org.au
