The Department acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan (CPCP) applies. We acknowledge and pay our respect to Elders past and present of the Dharug, Gundungurra and Dharawal nations.
The CPCP acknowledges thousands of generations of continuous Aboriginal connection to the land that makes up western Sydney. Aboriginal people hold deep connection, knowledge, understanding and custodianship of the landscape.
What is Caring for Country?
Caring for Country refers to the holistic practices that Aboriginal people use to care for Country. We acknowledge that Aboriginal people have managed, cultivated and cared for Country for thousands of generations and that they hold a profound obligation to knowledge, understanding and custodianship of the landscape and waterways. This is often referred to as ‘Connection to Country’.
Our Community by Lua Pellegrini
Our Caring for Country Aboriginal Outcomes Strategy 2024–33 features artwork by Lua Pellegrini that represents the beauty and diversity of Country across western Sydney. The section of the artwork depicted above includes three large circles representing the Traditional Custodians of Country the Darug, Dharawal and Gundungurra communities with the four smaller circles representing the Wiradjuri, Yuin, Darkinjung and Guringgai communities who also have connection to this area. In the artwork, Aboriginal Peoples can be seen coming together reflecting the diversity of the western Sydney Aboriginal community.
Caring for Country Aboriginal Outcomes Strategy
The Caring for Country Aboriginal Outcomes Strategy (PDF, 4.3 MB) contributes to the vision of healthy Country and thriving communities. The strategy will foster meaningful partnerships in western Sydney to ensure Aboriginal people are at the forefront of implementing the CPCP and will benefit from its opportunities.
The strategy aims to:
- promote Aboriginal culture and knowledge
- help enable Traditional Custodians and Aboriginal people maintain distinctive relationships with the land, waters, and sky in western Sydney
- improve the health and wellbeing of Country
- support economic participation for Aboriginal people.
What's in the strategy
The strategy is focused on 4 themes and 18 actions that have been co-developed with the Aboriginal communities of western Sydney.
Co-developing actions with Aboriginal communities through partnerships
Caring for Country
Honouring Aboriginal culture and heritage
Enhancing Aboriginal business, employment and training in the environmental sector
The Caring for Country Aboriginal Outcomes Strategy 2024-2033 – Community Guide (PDF, 668 KB) outlines specific sections of the strategy that may be important for you or your organisation.
Co-developing the strategy with communities
We consulted the Aboriginal communities of western Sydney about the strategy in 2 stages.
We engaged with Aboriginal communities from November 2022 to July 2023 before we finalised the strategy. Previously, we spoke with Aboriginal communities from March to October 2021 to understand the priorities and opportunities for the strategy. This work built on previous engagement with Aboriginal communities in western Sydney since 2019 that helped us develop the final CPCP and initial ideas for the strategy:
- Caring for Country Aboriginal Outcomes Strategy 2024-2033 – What we heard report (PDF, 6.1 MB) summarises the most recent engagement outcomes.
- Caring for Country Aboriginal Outcomes Strategy – Consultation Outcomes Report (PDF, 5 MB) provides a summary of what we heard from communities that informed the development of the draft strategy.
Grant programs
We are partnering with the western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils to deliver a $1.1 million grant program to the 8 councils covered by the CPCP as well Blue Mountains City Council.
The program empowers councils to engage and collaborate with Traditional Custodian groups and their local communities to deliver meaningful Caring for Country initiatives. It will help fund new Indigenous food security initiatives, Aboriginal local language revitalisation and projects that recognise and protect Aboriginal culture and heritage.
We are partnering with NSW Aboriginal Land Council to deliver a $1 million grant program for the 3 western Sydney local Aboriginal land councils within the CPCP’s area: Deerubbin, Tharawal and Gandangara.
The program aims to:
- help local Aboriginal land councils to assess and manage biodiversity, culture and heritage on Aboriginal-owned lands
- empower local Aboriginal land councils to deliver cultural and conservation outcomes on their land
- build capacity within local Aboriginal land councils to deliver natural resource management services.
We are partnering with Yarpa NSW Indigenous Business and Employment Hub to deliver a grant program for Aboriginal businesses.
The objectives of the program are to help:
- Aboriginal-owned businesses build capacity and capability to ensure they are best-placed to capitalise on the opportunities arising from the early implementation phase of the CPCP, as well as over the next 3 decades
- Aboriginal-owned businesses to become ‘tender ready’ and have the ability to compete for future tenders under the CPCP.
Caring for Ngurra: Custodians of Country Program
We are providing funding of $1.4 million to the Caring for Ngurra Program. This program offers First Nations peoples an opportunity to share their invaluable knowledge and deep connection to Country. By leveraging their expertise, we aim to manage and restore both new and existing reserves established under the CPCP.
The program will be delivered in 3 streams:
We are partnering with the Local Land Services to deliver a pilot for an Aboriginal Ranger Program within the CPCP area.
The Aboriginal Ranger Program is currently being developed with community and aims to employ First Nations rangers across the three Traditional Custodian communities and provide them with training to care for and restore conservation reserves.
The Cultural Burn Mentoring Program will train 20 First Nations fire practitioners, giving them intensive burn knowledge and skills training. They will be supported by elders, who will teach them and help them reclaim knowledge so they can participate in cultural burning.
The program aims to create a self-sufficient First Nations cultural fire team led by Traditional Custodians. This team will provide cultural fire services to local First Nations communities in western Sydney, helping them reclaim and continue to practice Caring for Country.
The Healthy Water, Healthy Communities Program will facilitate culturally informed restorative practices on Country that connect to the rivers. It will include forums and events for community knowledge sharing.
The program aims to provide First Nations peoples with an opportunity to use their knowledge and connections to Country to help manage and restore new and existing conservation reserves established under the CPCP.
Caring for Country local council working group
The Caring for Country council working group comprises 98 local councils across western Sydney as well as Blue Mountain City Council, Local Land Services, Sydney Water and National Parks and Wildlife Service. The group meets bi-monthly across Darug, Dharawal, and Gundungurra lands within the CPCP area. It is hosted and led by councils, and each gathering is opened by a Welcome to Country from a local elder. The group was established to foster collaboration across councils and state agencies to deliver the Caring for Country Strategy.
Connecting and collaborating with the community
The Caring for Country team is actively engaging with western Sydney Aboriginal communities to promote a better understanding of the Caring for Country Strategy and to ensure community voices shape our implementation of the strategy. This will help us ensure our programs and work align with the community's vision for healthy Country.
In 2024, the Caring for Country team participated in several events, including hosting tents at the Cooee Festival on Darug land and at 2 NAIDOC Week festivals on Darug and Dharawal lands in Penrith and Campbelltown. These events allowed us to connect with over 1,000 community members.
Credit disclaimer
Dealing with any part of the artworks on this page for any purpose that has not been authorised by the artist is a serious breach of customary law and may also breach the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).
For enquiries about reproducing the artworks and the use of the traditional knowledge embodied in the works, email Lua Pellegrini at [email protected]
Refer to our Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Protocol for further information about how the Department handles Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property.
Artwork – Our Community
Lua Pellegrini is a young Wiradjuri Woman who grew up on Dharug Country in western Sydney.
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Enquiries
- phone 02 9585 6060
- email [email protected]