Working with Nature Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery

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Working with Nature Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery
Working with Nature
Restoring landscapes
and supporting regional
economic recovery
Working with Nature Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery
Photo credit: Tobias Rowles

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Working with Nature Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery
Working with Nature
Restoring landscapes and supporting
regional economic recovery
March 2021

This report is based on a proposal for a conservation and land management employment
program, developed in response to the economic impacts of COVID-19 and supported by
more than 100 conservation, farming and land management organisations, including:

National                                  NQ Dry Tropics                                         Victoria
Australian Association                    NRM Regions Queensland                                 Environment Victoria
of Bush Regenerators                      Queensland Conservation Council                        Landcare Victoria Inc.
Australian Conservation Foundation        Queensland Trust for Nature                            Victorian Farmers Federation
Australian Land Conservation Alliance     Queensland Water & Land Carers                         Victorian National Parks Association
Australian Marine Conservation Society    Rainforest Rescue
Australian Wildlife Conservancy           Reef Catchments                                        Tasmania
Bush Heritage Australia                   Southern Gulf NRM                                      Cradle Coast Authority
Conservation Volunteers Australia         Southern Queensland Landscapes                         Landcare Tasmania
Country Needs People                                                                             North East Bioregional Network
Field and Game Australia                  New South Wales                                        NRM North
Greening Australia                        Landcare NSW                                           South Coast NRM
Invasive Species Council                  Nature Conservation Council                            Tasmanian Land Conservancy
Landcare Australia                        NSW Farmers Association
National Farmers Federation                                                                      Northern Territory
National Landcare Network                 South Australia                                        Arid Lands Environment Centre
NRM Regions Australia                     Conservation Council of SA                             Environment Centre NT
South Endeavour Trust                     Landcare Association of SA                             Landcare NT
The Nature Conservancy – Australia        Nature Conservation Society SA                         NT Cattlemen’s Association
The Pew Charitable Trusts                 Nature Foundation SA                                   Territory NRM
Vertebrate Pest Managers                  Primary Producers SA
Association of Australia                  SA Nature Alliance                                     Australian Capital Territory
WWF – Australia                           Trees for Life                                         ACT NRM
                                                                                                 Conservation Council ACT
Queensland                                Western Australia                                      Landcare ACT
AgForce                                   Conservation Council of WA
Burnett Mary Regional Group               Environs Kimberly
Cairns and Far North Environment Centre   Perth NRM
Cape York NRM                             Rangelands NRM
Desert Channels Queensland                South Coast NRM
Fitzroy Basin Association                 South West Catchments Council
Healthy Land and Water                    Wheatbelt NRM
Northern Gulf Resource                    WA Landcare Network
Management Group

                                                      For more information, visit www.workingwithnature.org.au

                                                              Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   3
Working with Nature Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery
Foreword
Over the past century, federal and state governments in Australia and overseas have
looked to create jobs in times of need by implementing programs in the conservation
and land management sector.

From the US Civilian Conservation Corps          there are still hundreds of thousands of       improvements in the condition of key
of the Great Depression to the present           people out of work and past experience         environmental assets, enhance landscape
day, these programs have demonstrated            teaches us that the benefits of economic       resilience and support long-term agricultural
an ability to deliver employment and skills      recovery can be unevenly distributed.          productivity.
development outcomes for participants            Young and unskilled workers are particularly
                                                                                                By employing and training vulnerable
while leaving lasting benefits for the broader   susceptible to the risk of long-term
                                                                                                workers to restore and revitalise
community and the natural environment.           unemployment, while regional areas with less
                                                                                                landscapes, we can create a natural legacy
                                                 diverse economies may be vulnerable to long
In Australia, the work completed by                                                             for all Australians to be proud of.
                                                 term impacts from a short term crisis.
participants in these programs has left
                                                                                                In rebuilding the nation’s economy, let’s not
an enduring natural legacy, improving the        Motivated by our concern for vulnerable
                                                                                                forget the land that it was built on.
health of our soils and rivers, restoring our    workers and regional communities,
forests and building tracks and trails in        and an enduring commitment to
our national parks. These programs have          improving the health and productivity
helped our natural landscapes recover, and       of Australia’s natural landscapes, more        Jim Adams
benefitted industries such as agriculture        than 100 conservation, farming and land        Chief Executive Officer
and tourism, while keeping Australians           management organisations have come             National Landcare Network
actively engaged in work during times of         together to support a proposal for a
economic crisis.                                 national conservation and land management
                                                 employment program.
Unprecedented stimulus measures in
response to COVID-19 have assisted               This ambitious and inspiring program of        Kate Andrews
Australia’s economy and placed the nation        work would reduce the impact of key            Executive Officer
on a path to economic recovery. However,         environmental threats, deliver large scale     NRM Regions Australia

Conservation and land
management work helped keep
thousands of Australians in work
during the Great Depression
Picture: Shutterstock.

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Working with Nature Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery
Contents
Executive summary...........................................................................................................................7

Introduction .........................................................................................................................................9

Responding to a national economic crisis.....................................................................11

Practical conservation and land management activities.....................................13

       Case study: Caring for country in North Queensland....................................................................................................14

Independent analysis of economic and social benefits.......................................17

       Case study: Tackling a destructive weed in the Northern Territory.................................................................22

Benefits for the tourism sector ............................................................................................21

Public support for investment in conservation stimulus.....................................25

       Case study: Supporting regional employment in Victoria..........................................................................................26

Opportunities for investment in hard-hit regional areas.....................................28

Building on success..................................................................................................................... 31

       Case study: New Zealand’s $1.1 billion Environmental Jobs Package...................................................37

       Case study: United States’ investment in iconic national parks and wild lands............................38

Learning from experience......................................................................................................... 39

Principles for effective program delivery........................................................................42

                                                                         Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.     5
Working with Nature Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery
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Working with Nature Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery
Executive summary
More than 100 conservation, farming and land management organisations have come together
to support Working with Nature, a proposal for thousands of workers to be employed to deliver
practical conservation and land management work across the country. This initiative presents an
opportunity to deliver targeted economic recovery support to regional communities while leaving
lasting benefits for the environment, tourism, farm businesses and local communities.

This investment would deliver timely,                                                                                       and long-term productivity of our land,
targeted and temporary support for                                                                                          rivers, oceans and farming landscapes.
                                                                       The program would
unemployed workers and can be scaled
as needed to meet the needs of regional
                                                                        provide a pathway                                   This proposal has been refined through
                                                                                                                            extensive consultation with stakeholders,
communities, in the context of broader                                from welfare to work
                                                                                                                            experts and policy makers, including
federal and state economic recovery                                 for thousands of people,                                economic analysis by Ernst & Young which
priorities.                                                            including unskilled                                  found that a $500 million investment
Consistent with the Australian                                             workers and                                      in this program will deliver nearly 7,000
Government’s planned transition away                                  young people at risk                                  full-time jobs and $1.2 billion in long-term
from economy-wide support measures,                                                                                         economic benefits.1
this program presents an opportunity to
                                                                           of long-term
                                                                        unemployment, at                                    Investment in practical conservation and
assist those most impacted by the residual
                                                                                                                            land management work would be widely
economic impacts of COVID-19, including                               a substantially lower                                 valued by a nation reeling from the impacts
young people and unskilled workers in                                 cost than large-scale                                 of drought, bushfires and COVID-19.
hard-hit regional communities.
                                                                    infrastructure programs.                                Recent polling found that 83 per cent of
The types of practical activities that would                                                                                Australians support investment in practical
be undertaken include weed management,                                                                                      conservation work, ranking it second out
soil erosion control, tree planting, bushfire                   • skill development and income                              of twelve potential economic recovery
recovery, restoration of bushland, rivers                         diversification for landholders and                       measures.
and creeks, feral animal control, fence                           regional communities                                      This report outlines the diverse economic,
construction and restoration of coastal and
                                                                • improved human wellbeing through                          social and environmental benefits
marine habitats.
                                                                  employment security and access to                         associated with government investment in
Investment in these activities will leave a                       nature.                                                   conservation and land management work,
positive long-term legacy, including:                           The program would provide a pathway                         illustrated with case studies, and outlines
                                                                from welfare to work for thousands of                       opportunities for further investment in hard-
• improvements in natural capital that
                                                                people, including unskilled workers                         hit regional communities.
  boost farm health and productivity
                                                                and young people at risk of long-term
• improved recovery of landscapes and
                                                                unemployment, at a substantially lower
  wildlife impacted by bushfires
                                                                cost than large-scale infrastructure
• restoration of important tourism and
                                                                programs. For workers, this program would
  land management infrastructure
                                                                provide an income, the dignity of work,
• fishing and recreation opportunities                          new skills, mental health benefits and the
  associated with healthy rivers and                            opportunity to contribute to the resilience
  coasts

1. Ernst & Young (2020) Delivering economic stimulus through the conservation and land management sector, June 2020.
   URL: www.alca.org.au/delivering-economic-stimulus-through-the-conservation-and-land-management-sector.

                                                                                         Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   7
Working with Nature Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery
Working with Nature
A plan for restoring landscapes and
supporting regional economic recovery

   $500                                                        $1.2
     million                                                    billion
      investment in
  conservation and land
                                  6,690                      long-term economic
                                   full time equivalent
    management work                                                benefits
                                          workers

  Timely delivery through          Targeted support for     Temporary investment
 existing mechanisms and         young, unskilled workers    during the economic
     trusted partners              and hard-hit regions        recovery period

  Supporting sustainable                                    Providing meaningful
                                  Building transferable
   farming and restoring                                    work and income for
                                  skills and knowledge
      natural capital                                         local businesses

     Restoring native              Conserving habitat          Restoring rivers
 vegetation and managing               and tackling         and coasts for fish and
      invasive weeds                threats to wildlife       local communities

                           www.workingwithnature.org.au
Working with Nature Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery
Introduction
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic threw Australia’s historically
stable economy into disarray, with the economic impacts of the
health crisis – and an unexpectedly strong recovery – presenting
complex, high stakes challenges for policy makers and the
broader community.

Robust economic stimulus measures              For some sectors of the community,
by federal and state governments have          recovery will be a slower, longer-term
helped to stabilise the economy, getting       process. Youth unemployment remains
people back to work and reinvigorating a       high in many regional communities, with
flatlining national economy.                   hundreds of thousands of young people
                                               currently out of work.
There are many lessons to be learned
from the large-scale, rapidly implemented      Experts warn of the risks of entrenched
economic interventions rolled out in 2020.     patterns of unemployment following an                             There are many
It’s now possible to examine government-
                                               economic crisis, and the need for targeted
                                               responses to the needs of vulnerable
                                                                                                          lessons to be learned
led economic stimulus initiatives and
examine the factors that have made them
                                               populations, especially young people and                    from the large-scale,
                                               unskilled workers.
successful. This makes it easier to build on                                                                rapidly implemented
these successes and use them as building       Over the past century, governments in
blocks for the next phase of Australia’s       Australia and overseas have used practical
                                                                                                         economic interventions
economic recovery and growth.                  conservation and land management                               rolled out in 2020.

                                                                 Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   9
Working with Nature Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery
Greening Australia Board Director Gordon Davis chats to
                       landholder Lenny Parisi about restoration works on his property.
                                                                  Credit Annette Ruzicka.

     programs to create meaningful work for         The early success of these programs,
     those most in need.                            and lessons learnt from previous similar
                                                    programs, provides a strong foundation for
     From the US Civilian Conservation Corps
                                                    further investment as Australia moves into
     of the Great Depression to the present
                                                    the next phase of its economic recovery
     day, these programs have demonstrated
                                                    from COVID-19.
     an ability to deliver employment and skill
     development outcomes for participants          In this report, we outline the diverse
     while leaving lasting benefits for the         economic, social and environmental
     broader community.                             benefits associated with investment
                                                    in practical conservation and land
     In response to COVID-19, states and
                                                    management work, illustrated with case
     territories across Australia have announced
                                                    studies of programs currently under way.
     practical employment programs, including
     Working for Victoria, Western Australia’s      By examining programs now in the field,
     Green Jobs Plan and Queensland’s Reef          we can chart a course towards more
     Assist initiative.                             ambitious investment in the months and
                                                    years ahead.
     Together with federal and state
     investments in national park infrastructure,   Large-scale investment in conservation
     these programs are providing much              and land management will provide
     needed work and putting boots on the           enduring benefits for the environment and
     ground to deliver practical conservation       local communities, helping to ensure that
     and land management outcomes.                  we leave the best possible natural legacy
                                                    for future generations of Australians.

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Responding
to a national
economic crisis
In response to the profound economic impacts of COVID-19,
more than 100 conservation, land management and farming
organisations came together in 2020 to support a proposal
for thousands of impacted workers to be employed to deliver                                                                                The road to recovery
practical conservation and land management activities.                                                                                      will be a long one,
                                                                                                                                          which will require each
                                                                                                                                            sector of society to
This initiative is supported by more than                        meaningful and socially beneficial work                                   contribute in its own
100 conservation, farming and land                               during a period of economic crisis --                                    way. We stand ready to
management organisations, including the                          while leaving enduring benefits for the                                  help in any way we can.
National Landcare Network, Landcare                              environment, local communities, tourism
Australia, National Farmers Federation,                          and farm businesses.
NRM Regions Australia, Australian Land                                                                                                       – Conservation, farming and land
                                                                 The work they proposed would help                                         management organisations’ letter to
Conservation Alliance and the Pew
                                                                 to restore some of Australia’s most                                       Prime Minister Morrison, 2 April 2020.
Charitable Trusts.
                                                                 damaged landscapes, through bushfire
Together, these organisations developed                          recovery, weed management, tree planting,
a bold proposal for an economic stimulus                         restoration of bushland, rivers and creeks,
program that would deliver practical                             feral animal control, fence construction and
conservation and land management                                 restoration of coastal and marine habitats.
outcomes while employing thousands of
                                                                 Collectively, these activities constituted an
the workers in hard-hit regions.
                                                                 ambitious and inspiring program of work,
This proposal called for federal and                             which would reduce the impact
state investment in the creation of safe,                        of key environmental threats, deliver

              Australian Unemployed Young People (15 - 34 years)                                                                   Over 100,000 more young people were
                            Jan 2019 - Jan 2021                                                                                 unemployed in January 2021 compared to
   600,000                                                                                                                      March 2020. Young and unskilled workers
                                                                                                                                   have been disproportionately impacted
   550,000
                                                                                                                                    by the COVID economic crisis and are
   500,000
                                                                                                                                particularly susceptible to the risk of long-
                                                                                                                                term unemployment, even as the broader
   450,000                                                                                                                     economy recovers. Conservation and land
                                                                                                                             management jobs can get young people back
   400,000
                                                                                                                                into the workforce by providing them with
   350,000                                                                                                                   meaningful work which builds their skills and
                                                                                                                             knowledge, keeps them in their communities
   300,000
                                                                                                                               and improves mental health and wellbeing.
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                                                                                          Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.         11
large-scale improvements in the condition       support measures, including JobKeeper,
                        of key environmental assets, enhance            we believe investment in practical
                        landscape resilience and support long-          conservation and land management work
                        term agricultural productivity.                 presents a tool for delivering targeted and
                                                                        timely support for those most impacted
                        The organisations recommended that the
                                                                        by the residual economic effects of
                        program be delivered cooperatively by
                                                                        COVID-19, including young people in
                        federal, state and territory governments,
                                                                        hard-hit regional communities.
                        working in close collaboration with the
                        conservation, land management and               This investment would deliver on multiple
                        farming sector.                                 policy priorities across the environment,
                                                                        agriculture, employment and regional
                        Governments’ robust response to the
                                                                        development portfolios, including training
                        health and economic crisis has helped to
                                                                        and skills development. Work in the
                        mitigate the worst impacts of COVID-19
                                                                        conservation and land management
                        and lay a foundation for strong economic
                                                                        sector provides an opportunity to develop
                        recovery, as evidenced by recent
                                                                        practical, transferable skills through a
                        improvements in employment statistics.
                                                                        combination of field-based learning and
                        Consistent with Government’s planned            vocational training programs.
                        transition away from economy-wide

        The labour intensive nature of the work, combined with low
     capital costs, results in a high proportion of investment flowing to
      the employees and contractors delivering the work and, in turn,
         to their families and businesses in their local community.

                          - Jim Adams, CEO, National Landcare Network

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Practical
conservation and
land management
activities
Investment in a national conservation            This work will deliver a range of
and land management employment                   long-term environmental, social and                         This program could
program would support practical, local           economic benefits, including:
action to protect and restore important
                                                                                                              deliver meaningful
                                                 • improvements in ecosystems and
environmental assets, including:
                                                   natural capital that boost farm health                   gains in agricultural
• river and wetland restoration, including         and productivity;                                    productivity, by reducing
  fencing, revegetation and erosion control;     • recovery of landscapes and wildlife
• a surge in weed control efforts, focused         post-bushfire restoring tourism
                                                                                                            costs, improving the
  on containment and preventing cross-             potential and improving productive,                   condition of soil, water
  tenure spread;                                   environmental and aesthetic value;
• national park infrastructure, track            • restoration of important tourism and
                                                                                                          and native vegetation
  maintenance and park management                  land management infrastructure like                 and enhancing resilience
  (fire, weeds, feral animals);                    fencing, roads and fire trails;
                                                                                                            to natural disasters.
• bushfire recovery and resilience               • income diversification by upskilling
  activities, including infrastructure repairs     regional communities in environmental
  and habitat restoration;                         land management focused on improved
                                                                                                                                  - Kate Andrews, CEO,
• invasive animal control, including deer          soil health and productivity, and                                             NRM Regions Australia
  and pigs which impact on farming and             supporting access to carbon and other
  threatened species;                              environmental markets;

• tree planting and habitat restoration in       • regeneration of healthy coastal systems
  metropolitan, suburban, peri-urban and           that provide fishing and recreation
  rural areas;                                     opportunities; and

• funding for private land conservation,         • improved human health and wellbeing
  putting money in the hands of farmers            through employment security and
  and land holders;                                access to nature.

• coastal habitat restoration and
  monitoring, in partnership with fishing
  industry and local communities;
• plastics and marine debris clean up,
  including research to inform future
  policy decisions; and
• funding for Indigenous rangers to
  support employment outcomes in
  vulnerable communities.

                                                                  Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   13
Case Study

                             Caring for Country
                             in North Queensland
                             Funded by the Queensland Government’s $10 million Reef
                             Assist program, the ‘Healing Country’ project is creating jobs for
                             Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in North Queensland
                             while supporting efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef and
                             nearby coastal ecosystems.

                             Townsville-based natural resource
                             management organisation NQ Dry
                             Tropics has joined forces with Indigenous
                             employment group Three Big Rivers to
                             deliver the initiative, funded through the           I know a lot of young
                             Queensland Government’s Reef Assist                 people who feel excited
                             program.                                             when they see us out
                             Under the project, five Aboriginal and               on country. They ask
                             Torres Strait Islander members of an                 what we’re doing and
                             environmental team are gaining practical
Three Big Rivers Executive
                                                                                  who we work for, and
                             on-ground skills working on NQ Dry
Director Thomas Holden       Tropics projects across the region, while
                                                                                   whether there’s any
with NQ Dry Tropics CEO
                             undertaking an accredited environmental              more work available.
Dr Scott Crawford
                             training program.

                             NQ Dry Tropics CEO Dr Scott Crawford                   – Sam Savage, Healing Country
                             said the partnership was boosting on-                       program participant
                             ground activities to improve land condition,
                             protect plants and animals, and improve
                             the quality of water flowing into local         future careers in natural resource or rural
                             creeks and the reef.                            management.
                             “The Healing Country project is offering        “The partnership with Three Big Rivers fits
                             participants a chance to work on country        with our belief that meaningful Traditional
                             and gain practical experience on activities     Owner engagement leads to better, more
                             that benefit reef water quality,” Dr Crawford   sustainable natural resource management
                             said.                                           outcomes,” he said.
                             “Tasks will include learning techniques         Three Big Rivers Executive Director,
                             to fix eroded gullies to reduce sediment        Thomas Holden said the way the project
                             runoff, protecting sensitive creekbank          had been developed would help ensure
                             areas with revegetation and weed control,       sustainable Indigenous employment
                             and tackling marine debris.                     opportunities across the region:
                             “The project is also about brokering            “Co-designing this project with NQ Dry
                             mutually beneficial relationships between       Tropics, with support through the Reef
                             landholders and Traditional Owners.             Assist Program, will support capability and
                             “We hope the skills and qualifications          capacity building that will provide lasting
                             participants acquire will set them up for       benefits,” Mr Holden said.

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Since the start of the year, the               work for, and whether there’s any more
environmental team has been busy               work available because they want to be
protecting areas of threatened beach           out on country as well.”
scrub north of Townsville.
                                               “I would love to get a job helping the
Crew members Sam Savage and                    environment, so this work is a good
Rheardan Cobbo (Bindal), Gary Kyle             step for me to take. Once I gain more
(Bwgcolman / Juru), Waylan Sam                 knowledge, I will share it with others so
(Bwgcolman) and Supervisor Darryl              they can get a better idea of how they can
Chong (Waanyi) have been collecting            help,” said Rheardan Cobbo.
marine debris from three beach scrub
                                               Supervisor Darryl Chong said: “I’ve got
sites at Crystal Creek, Mystic Sands and
                                               a great team here. We started off not
Quindalup.                                                                                           Gary Kyle protecting native plants
                                               knowing what to expect, but we’ve done
                                                                                                     and animals by collecting harmful
The debris, including rubbish left behind by   a couple of sites now and are getting                 marine debris.
campers, impacts local wildlife and plant      the hang of what we need to do. There’s
species. The team will also be controlling     still a lot of training to come for us. This
invasive weeds at various locations.           experience could provide a pathway for
                                               crew members to become future rangers”.
Sam Savage said he was happy to be
involved with the project: “Three Big Rivers   Training opportunities for the group will
and NQ Dry Tropics have given us the           include a Certificate III in Rural Operations,
opportunity to reconnect with country.         tickets to operate light machinery, and
I know a lot of young people who feel          learning how to construct stick dams to
excited when they see us out on country.       control gully erosion.
They ask what we’re doing and who we

Environmental team (left to right) Rheardan Cobbo, Gary Kyle, Waylon Sam, Sam Savage, Darryl Chong.

                                                                 Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   15
Credit: Shutterstock

16
Independent analysis of
economic and social benefits
Expert analysis by Ernst & Young found that a $500 million investment in a conservation and land
management employment program would deliver more than $1.2 billion in long-term economic benefits.

Ernst & Young (EY) was enlisted to perform                            Proportionate The program                            • Invasive animal control delivers positive
an economic impact assessment of a broad-                             can be scaled up or down.                              benefit to cost ratios between 2.8 and
based program of conservation and land                                Stimulus decisions, by nature, are                     25. These benefits accrue principally to
management activities to support Australia’s                          made rapidly and in a climate of                       producers through reduced pressure
response to the COVID-19 crisis.                                      uncertainty. The proposed program                      on pasture and water resources.
                                                                      enables policymakers to adjust their                 • Habitat restoration enhances farm
This assessment identified a range of
                                                                      investment under each of the program                   productivity by improving water quality,
economic, social and environmental
                                                                      options if necessary.2                                 reducing soil erosion and salinity,
benefits associated with the proposed
program, and found that the program                                                                                          enhancing pollination, providing shelter
                                                                The EY analysis found that this investment
reflected the following characteristics of an                                                                                for stock and enhancing drought
                                                                could “deliver meaningful gains in
effective economic stimulus measure:                                                                                         resilience.
                                                                agricultural productivity, including by
      Targeted The program involves                             reducing costs and lifting the capacity                    The analysis found that government
      real jobs on real projects. It’s not                      of the land, improving water quality and                   investment of $4 billion in a national
      a make-work program. Rather the                           natural disaster resilience, and preserving                conservation and land management
      initiatives have the potential to make                    the country’s natural heritage”.                           program could raise economic output by
      our environment and agricultural land                                                                                about $5.7 billion, reduce welfare costs
                                                                The report presents a taxonomy of
      better and leave a legacy. Moreover,                                                                                 by $620 million and generate 53,000 jobs
                                                                environment, social and economic benefits
      the program is targeted at alleviating                                                                               over the next four years.
                                                                of the program, including improved
      some of the key social and economic                       agricultural productivity. The authors                     The program is scalable, with scope to
      concerns of regions affected by                           reviewed the findings of previous cost-                    target investment on a regional basis. EY
      COVID-19, as well as the bushfires.                       benefit analyses and found that:                           found that a regionally targeted investment
      Temporary The program has a                                                                                          of $500 million would create 6,690 jobs
                                                                • Invasive weed control was found to
      finite start and end date (depending                                                                                 and $1.2 billion in economic impacts over
                                                                  deliver an average benefit to cost ratio
      on the scale of the program) and does                                                                                the next 20 years (Table 1).
                                                                  of 33, principally through improvements
      not bake in structural commitments to                       in farm production and reduced
      the Budget.                                                 long-term weed control costs.
      Timely The program can be
      implemented quickly, and has been                         Table 1. Employment and economic benefits associated with three investment scenarios
      structured around the capacity of the
                                                                 Scenario            Investment          Duration      Direct             Indirect            Long-term
      conservation and land management                                                                                 employment         employment          economic
                                                                                                                       (FTE)              (FTE)               benefits
      sector to deliver work on-the-ground.
      Program requirements are largely
                                                                 Scenario 1          $4 billion          4 years       40,000             13,428              $9.3 billion
      based around unskilled workers
      and it can help engage unemployed
                                                                 Scenario 2          $2 billion          3 years       20,000             6,701               $4.7 billion
      and underemployed workers across
      Australia, including in regions at risk of                 Scenario 3          $500 million        2 years       5,000              1,690               $1.2 billion
      entrenched disadvantage.

2. Ernst & Young (2020) Delivering economic stimulus through the conservation and land management sector, June 2020.
   URL: www.alca.org.au/delivering-economic-stimulus-through-the-conservation-and-land-management-sector.

                                                                                       Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   17
Delivering economic
     stimulus through the
     conservation and land
     management sector
     Economic Impact Assessment (Ernst & Young, June 2020)3

     Extract from EY economic assessment:

     Conservation, land management and            that workers who have been displaced
     farming organisations have collaborated      from their previous jobs in heavily affected
     to develop a program that will support       sectors (such as tourism) can substitute
     thousands of unemployed workers and          into conservation and land management
     provide a meaningful contribution to the     roles.
     sector.
                                                  Moreover, by allowing workers to move
     The broad-based program involves             into roles in the conservation and land
     a range of activities that could be          management sector, it will help to reduce
     undertaken in both regional and              the number of people relying on Job
     metropolitan areas. The scope of these       Seeker and Youth Allowance.
     activities ranges from restoring natural
                                                  The long-term social and economic
     habitats, to controlling invasive animals
                                                  benefits of moving people off welfare and
     and weeds, to building and repairing
                                                  into work are profound — those who are
     infrastructure.
                                                  unemployed for long periods of time find
     Underpinning each of these activities        it increasingly more difficult to find and
     is a commitment to employ low-skilled        hold employment. People are more likely
     workers, or workers who have little          to experience longer, and more frequent,
     experience in practical conservation         spells on welfare the longer they are out
     and land management delivery. In fact,       of the job market. This is a particularly
     preliminary estimations suggest about        potent issue for young people and
     67% of the roles in the program will         highlights the importance of encouraging
     require workers to have no previous          people off welfare and into work.
     experience.
                                                  Not only will these activities allow
     Most activities are labour intensive and     people to get into work, and engage in
     involve working outside with minimal         meaningful tasks, it will also allow them
     previous experience. Therefore, it is        to accumulate new knowledge. While
     possible to conduct this work in a           many of the proposed activities require a
     COVID-19 safe environment, while             low baseline skill level, there is potential
     maintaining social distancing.               for participants to upskill and retrain in
                                                  conservation and land management roles.
     As most roles in the program will
     require minimal previous experience,         Participants are likely to gain important
     this increases the available pool of         technical skills such as surveying, fencing
     workers who can participate. This is a       and occupational health and safety
     key attraction of the program, as it means   training. There is also an opportunity to

18
build practical and highly transferable
skills in areas such as teamwork,
communication, leadership and program
management. In addition, engagement in
the program is likely to build self-esteem,
community capacity and job-readiness.                                                         The long-term social and
This may increase one’s future employment                                                   economic benefits of moving
options. The ability to transfer workers from
other industries is an attractive program
                                                                                             people off welfare and into
feature, especially for rural areas. Without                                                    work are profound.
this option, some communities may suffer
displacement of workers to areas with
higher demand. This phenomenon, which                                                                       - Ernst & Young, June 2020
is often referred to as ‘brain drain’, has the
potential to leave vulnerable and remote
communities at risk.

Activities can be concentrated in areas
with large numbers of unemployment,
targeting communities who have a larger
supply of available workers.

The low entry requirements may be
particularly effective in engaging with
people who are currently out of work
and ensuring they stay in the local area.
The conservation and land management
sector has a relatively high proportion
of female employees across its broad
spectrum of activities.

There have been increasing concerns
about the effects of COVID-19 on
women, with females disproportionately
affected by the economic crisis. Based on
the sector’s strong female engagement,
the program has the potential to support
improved opportunities for women.

Another critical feature of the program is
the fact that the proposed activities build
on existing models. Thus, established and
functioning programs can be expanded to
adapt to the needs of the region. Notably,
there are no costs involved in designing
brand new activities. This is beneficial
from a risk management perspective
and would assist in the timely delivery of
the program. Moreover, there is also a
high level of shared knowledge among
program coordinators, about the success
and failure of previous programs that can
be leveraged.

3. Ernst & Young (2020) Delivering economic stimulus through the conservation and land management sector, June 2020.
   URL: www.alca.org.au/delivering-economic-stimulus-through-the-conservation-and-land-management-sector.

                                                                                       Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   19
Coastal habitat restoration is practical work that enhances our beaches,
stabilises coastal dune systems and provides habitat for native wildlife.
Picture: Trees for Life.

20
Benefits for the
tourism sector
Maintaining, restoring                     Retaining experienced
and enhancing natural                      tourism workers in                                       In regional centres
tourism assets:                            regional areas:
                                                                                                       hard-hit by the
Public investment in conservation          In regional centres hard-hit by the
and land management work presents          downturn in tourism, this investment
                                                                                                   downturn in tourism,
opportunities to restore and enhance       would provide people with the dignity                  this investment would
natural tourism assets (e.g. restoring     of work, support them to remain                         provide people with
visitor infrastructure and natural         actively involved in their community                     the dignity of work,
habitats destroyed by bushfire; tracks     and provide a pathway back into
                                                                                                 support them to remain
and trails in national parks; monitoring   long-term work as tourism and other
and restoring coastal and marine           key economic sectors recover from                        actively involved in
habitats).                                 the impacts of COVID-19.                                   their community

Income diversification                     Leaving a lasting
for tourism businesses:                    environmental legacy
There may be opportunities for             and promoting our
tourism businesses to diversify their      natural icons:
income during the economic recovery        By scaling up existing successful
period. For example, marine tourism        conservation programs during
operators would be well placed to          the economic recovery period,
provide boats, dive equipment and          we can leave a lasting legacy for
skilled workers for marine research        nature, enhance the resilience
and habitat restoration activities on      of rural landscapes, promote our
the Great Barrier Reef.                    iconic natural assets and highlight
                                           the tourism industry’s long-term
                                           commitment to environmental
                                           sustainability.

                                                        Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   21
Case Study

     Tackling a destructive
     weed in the Northern
     Territory
     In July 2020, the NT Government announced plans to establish a
     ‘Gamba Army’ to control highly invasive gamba grass as part of
     its economic recovery plan.

     The Gamba Army has now been                    “The question this year is where can we
     established, creating 45 jobs and              get bang for buck. You can’t just spray a
     providing targeted support in Litchfield and   spot, then walk away. We need to consider
     Charles Darwin National Parks and the          what the follow up plan is for each year,”
     Greater Darwin region.                         Rowena said.

     Rowena Eastwick, from the Gamba Army,          “I have been talking to the rangers at
     said that the gamba army had got off to a      Litchfield National Park and we are trying
     good start over its first wet season.          to get a team down there to do that as a
                                                    priority.”
     “The army is quite a diverse range of
     people. A lot of them are students and it’s    Rowena said one of the first priority
     great to see them improving their capacity     areas was around the Casuarina Coastal
     on ground around grass identification,” she    Reserve.
     said.
                                                    “The team’s done a great job and there’s
     “We also have tour guides in the Gamba         really large patches of gamba grass gone
     Army. Obviously, the tourism industry has      around areas we’ve started with there,” she
     been hit really hard by COVID, so tour         said.
     guides are looking for work.
                                                    “The native grasses - the spear grasses
     “We bring tourists here to look at our         - will start overtaking the gamba soon in
     natural environment, so the team are really    those areas. We’ll do some follow up work
     enjoying this opportunity to get rid of this   and keep monitoring them to make sure
     weed and bring the landscape back to           we stay on top of it.”
     native, beautiful habitat.”

     The Gamba Army has had to choose areas
     to focus on as priorities, given the wide
     distribution of gamba grass across the Top
     End. Areas of high conservation value and
     high public use have been top priorities.

22
Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   23
Working for Victoria participants in the field.
Credit: Vic Catchments.

24
Public support
for investment
in conservation
stimulus
There is strong public support for government investment in

                                                                                                                83%
conservation and land management as an economic recovery
measure, with more than four in five Australians supporting
investment in practical environmental programs to employ people
                                                                                                         of Australians think the Federal
in hard-hit regional areas.                                                                            Government should fund practical
                                                                                                        environmental initiatives like tree
                                                                                                        planting, weed removal and river
                                                                                                      restoration to keep people employed
In 2020, public polling was commissioned     The polling also showed that three
by the National Landcare Network to          quarters (76%) of Australians were
assess the popularity of economic stimulus   concerned about the health of the
focused in their sector with the general     country’s forests, rivers and wildlife, with

                                                                                                                 76%
public. The research, conducted by Dynata    a similar number (74%) agreeing that
polling, was conducted on 20-21 July         economic stimulus funding should be used
across a sample of 1009 respondents          to help communities and the environment
Australia-wide.                              recover from the bushfires and drought.
                                                                                                      of Australians are concerned about
The results showed clear endorsement         Media across the country picked up the                    the health of the country’s forests,
of the program concept, with more than       polling, with more than 80 metropolitan                     rivers and wildlife following the
four in five Australians (83%) saying        and regional publications running stories                        drought and bushfires
the Morrison Government should fund          highlighting the positive response to the
practical environmental initiatives like     program proposal.
tree planting, weed removal and river
restoration to keep people in regional

                                                                                                                 74%
communities employed while Australia
recovers from the economic impacts of
COVID-19.
                                                                                                       of Australians agree that economic
Funding practical environmental work
                                                                                                        stimulus funding should be used
came in as the second most popular (75%                                                                    to help communities and the
support) out of 12 options for keeping                                                                  environment recover from recent
people in regional communities employed,                                                                      bushfires and drought
second only to increasing funding for
training and apprenticeships (78%).

                                                              Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   25
Case Study

     Supporting regional
     employment
     in Victoria
     The Victorian Government moved quickly to respond to the
     unfolding COVID-19 crisis, announcing its $500 million Working
     for Victoria program in March 2020.

     The program, developed to stimulate                       Work completed also includes
     a struggling economy, incorporated                        improvements to parks and reserves, such
     spending for new and existing projects in                 as track maintenance.
     the national resource management and
                                                               Local councils have created several
     agriculture sector among other initiatives.
                                                               hundred additional environment-related
     Early reports indicate good results for the               positions through Working for Victoria (for
     program around the state, with uptake                     example, the City of Melbourne created 64
     particularly strong in areas which have                   positions for urban tree planting).
     been hardest hit by COVID-19 job losses.
                                                               The statewide program involves lots of
     To date, 570 new roles have been created                  government partners and local councils
     by Catchment Management Authorities,                      in delivering practical land management
     Parks Victoria and the Department                         work. They operate using a coordinated
     of Environment representing a total                       approach to recruitment, which has helped
     investment of $29 million.                                to fill available roles rapidly, but local
                                                               organisations retain autonomy in where
     The jobs will improve land and catchment
                                                               they work.
     health through the removal of rubbish,
     increased revegetation, pest management
     control and maintenance to keep
     waterways clean, safe and healthy.

                           Page 27: * Andrews, D. (2020, August 13). Hundreds of Jobs Working for Victoria [Media release].
                                       Retrieved from https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/creating-hundreds-jobs-working-victoria

26
We’re creating jobs that will
  allow hundreds of people
    to keep working while
   supporting projects that
benefit the entire community.*

   - Victorian Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade Martin Pakula

                                                                Working for Victoria participants in action.
                                                                                     Picture: Vic Catchments

                                Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   27
Opportunities                                                       Summary of regional conservation and
                                                                    land management stimulus proposals

for investment
                                                                    developed by regional delivery partners.

in hard-hit                                                                     Outback: Vulnerable remote

regional areas
                                                                                communities
                                                                                • Tackling highly invasive, transformative
                                                                                  weeds
                                                                                • Working with pastoralists and Traditional
                                                                                  Owners
                                                                                • Revegetation, seed collection and erosion
                                                                                  control
                                                                                252 full-time workers
To assess the opportunities to support employment
and environmental outcomes in hard-hit regions, the
Working with Nature team identified ten candidate
priority regions, based on the following criteria:

1. Economic impact:
      Identify regions with relatively high employment loss
      due to COVID-19.

2. Conservation values:
      Prioritise regions with high conservation values / key
                                                               South-west Western Australia
      conservation threats.
                                                               • Improving drought resilience and land
                                                                 condition
3. Regional delivery capacity:                                 • Establishing seed banks and restoring
                                                                 wildlife habitat
      Scale investment in line with regional program           • Restoring coastal habitats, bushland and
                                                                 waterways
      delivery capacity.
                                                               450 full-time workers
The team worked with regional and state partners
to develop ten regional stimulus concepts – one for
each priority region. These concept proposals identify
potential delivery partners, proposed activities, expected
conservation and land management outcomes and
anticipated employment and economic benefits.
                                                                                                Greater Adelaide
                                                                                                Mount Lofty Ranges
                                                                                                • Working with landholders and primary
                                                                                                  producers
                                                                                                • Revegetation, weed control and habitat
                                                                                                  restoration
                                                                                                • Building natural capital for primary
                                                                                                  production
                                                                                                300 full-time workers

Note: For consistency with Ernst & Young analysis, worker
numbers are based on annual full-time employment – for
example, 350 workers employed full-time for two years is
recorded as 700 FTE.

28
Great Barrier Reef Catchments
                                                                                      • Restoring rainforests and reef catchments
                                                                                      • Supporting threatened species recovery
                                                                                      • Partnering with Indigenous communities
                                                                                      980 full-time workers

                                                                                                 South East Queensland
                                                                                                 • Improving waterway and catchment health
                                                                                                 • Supporting threatened species recovery
                                                                                                 • Building landscape and community
                                                                                                   resilience
                                                                                                 130 full-time workers

                                                                                                 North Coast and Hunter Valley
                                                                                                 • Restoring rivers: Richmond, Manning,
                                                                                                   Hunter
                                                                                                 • Weed control and bushfire recovery
                                                                                                 • Building capacity of community
                                                                                                   organisations
                                                                                                 250 full-time workers

                                                                                      South Coast
Western Victoria                                                                      and Snowy Mountains
                                                                                      • Tackling weeds in priority landscapes
• Restoring rivers, wetlands and coastal
                                                                                      • Reducing long-term impacts of bushfires
  habitats
                                                                                      • Strengthening community networks
• Tackling invasive weeds and pest animals
• Protecting natural assets with landholders                                          382 full-time workers
358 full-time workers

         Eastern Victoria                                       Tasmania
         • Restoring wildlife habitat and connectivity          • Restoring wildlife habitat and connectivity
         • Improving the condition of rivers and                • Improving the condition of rivers and
           streams                                                streams
         • Engaging landholders in conservation work            • Engaging landholders in conservation work
         450 full-time workers                                  275 full-time workers

                                                         Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   29
These initiatives will … create lasting legacies in
regional centres, small towns and on the Great Barrier
Reef, which will be a big boost to local communities.*

- Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack

* Ley, S. (2020, July 12). Historic investment in iconic National Parks [Press release].
Retrieved from https://minister.awe.gov.au/ley/media-releases/historic-investment-iconic-national-parks

30
Building on success
Over the past year, governments in Australia and overseas have
rolled out large-scale economic stimulus packages, including
a number of conservation and land management employment
programs. These early initiatives provide a foundation for a more
ambitious national program in Australia.

Australian Government                                                                                   New and improved
In October 2020, the Australian            • $8.2 million to engage tourism                           infrastructure means
Government announced a $61.7 million         operators in Great Barrier Reef
investment in the environment, through       monitoring and conservation work and
                                                                                                   more tourism, more jobs
the $1 billion COVID-19 Relief and           upgrade Townville’s Reef HQ aquarium.                    and better outcomes
Recovery Fund. This package aims to
create employment, boost local tourism
                                           In July 2020, the Australian Government                  for Australians living in
and preserve the environment through
                                           announced $233 million for tourism
                                           infrastructure in federally managed national
                                                                                                       regional and remote
investment in three strands of work:
                                           parks: Uluru, Kata-Tjuta, Kakadu, Booderee                areas, which is vital as
• $33.5 million for conservation work      and Christmas Island. This investment
  and infrastructure upgrades across 23    is expected to create employment for
                                                                                                      we move through the
  national heritage and World Heritage     hundreds of construction workers and                       economic challenges
  sites;                                   provide long-term benefits for local tourism
• $22 million for coastal communities to   businesses.
                                                                                                                 of COVID.
  restore shellfish reefs, improving the
  health of marine ecosystems, enhancing
  local fish stocks and creating tourism                                                                            - Minister for the Environment
                                                                                                                                        Sussan Ley
  dive sites; and

                                                                                                Iconic tourism destinations like
                                                                                                Uluru have been given a boost by
                                                                                                the Federal Government.
                                                                                                Photo credit: Parks Australia.

                                                            Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.   31
Western Australia
                                                            On 27 July, the WA Government                                On 8 August, the WA Government
        It is important that                                announced a $60 million Green Jobs Plan,                     announced a $150 million tourism industry
       Western Australia’s                                  as part of the state’s $5.5 billion Economic                 recovery package, including infrastructure
        economic recovery                                   Recovery Plan. This three year investment                    improvements for the state’s “most iconic
                                                            is forecast to create 1,000 conservation                     natural attractions”, including Karijini
       works hand in hand                                   jobs across the state and includes a $15                     National Park, Ningaloo, Monkey Mia, the
        with the continued                                  million Vegetation Rehabilitation Fund,                      Pinnacles, Rottnest Island and Murujuga
      protection of Western                                 $25 Healthy Estuaries Program, and $3.3                      National Park.
      Australia’s magnificent                               million for Indigenous land management in
                                                            the Pilbara.
       environment - which
        is one of our most
         precious assets.*

            – WA Environment Minister,
                Stephen Dawson

* Dawson, S. & McGowan, M. (2020, July 27). McGowan Government unveils Green Jobs Plan to support recovery [Press release].
Retrieved from https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/McGowan/2020/07/McGowan-Government-unveils-Green-Jobs-Plan-to-support-recovery.aspx

                                                                                    Coral garden in the world heritage-listed Ningaloo Marine Park.
                                                                                                                            Credit: Paul and Kelly Wags

32
Queensland
On 15 July, the Queensland Government           Reef Assist was announced together with
announced its $10 million Reef Assist           a $10 million extension of the Skilling                                     Reef Assist will
package. The program aims to create up          Queenslanders for Work program to fund                                   provide unemployed
to 200 nature-based jobs for unemployed         traineeships in construction, conservation                               and underemployed
Queenslanders in the Wet Tropics,               and land management. On 16 June, the
Burdekin and Mackay-Whitsunday                  Queensland Government announced $8.9
                                                                                                                         Queenslanders with
catchment areas. Mackay, Townsville and         million for infrastructure in national parks,                          temporary nature-based
Cairns were identified as priority areas that   building on an existing $45 million national                            employment, delivering
have been badly impacted by a loss of           park infrastructure program.                                               up to 200 jobs in
visitors as a result of COVID-19.
                                                                                                                           hard-hit regions.*
The program will provide environmentally
beneficial work while also leaving enduring
benefits for regional communities,                                                                                                – Queensland Premier
                                                                                                                                  Annastacia Palaszczuk
businesses and landscapes. Projects
funded through the program are likely
to include practical, on-ground land
management work such as streambank
rehabilitation, tree planting, pest and weed
control.
                                                * Palaszczuk, A. (2020, July 15). More jobs for Queenslanders as we unite and recover from the global pandemic [Media release].
                                                                                                                Retrieved from https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/90199

                                                                      Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.                33
Victoria
                                                                  The $500 million Working for Victoria      In a separate announcement, the
        Victoria’s Catchment                                      program, announced in March, has created   Department of Environment, Land, Water
            Management                                            thousands of new roles for unemployed      and Planning will deliver $129 million in
          Authorities do an                                       people affected by the economic impacts    direct support to local communities. The
                                                                  of COVID-19. To date, 570 new roles        Victorian Government estimates that this
       amazing job managing                                       have been created by state environmental   investment will create 3,700 direct jobs,
          and keeping our                                         agencies, while local councils have        while supporting thousands more across
         waterways healthy                                        created several hundred additional         the state’s supply chains.
        and these roles will                                      environment-related positions through
                                                                  Working for Victoria.
       help deliver even more
      important local projects
          across the state.*

            – Victorian Minister for Water
                      Lisa Neville

                                                                  Working for Victoria has created jobs for hundreds of
                                                                  Victorians, many of them in regional and rural areas.
                                                                  Credit: Vic Catchments.

* Andrews, D. (2020, August 13). Hundreds of Jobs Working for Victoria [Media release].
Retrieved from https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/creating-hundreds-jobs-working-victoria

34
New South Wales
In January 2021, the NSW Government
announced a $400 million investment
in the state’s national parks. The funds
include $257 million to be invested in
new facilities, including more than 750
                                                                                Not only are our national parks good for the
kilometres of new and upgraded walking                                          environment and our health and wellbeing,
tracks, upgrades to 33 campgrounds and
61 new and improved picnic areas.
                                                                               they are good for the health of the economy.*
In 2020, the NSW Government allocated
$18 million to Local Land Services to                                                                           - NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian
deliver practical conservation and land
management work. This funding was
provided explicitly as regional economic
stimulus, to create work in regional areas                                  * Berejiklian, G. (2020, January 17). Biggest infrastructure investment in history of NSW national parks [Media release].
over the next 12 months.                                                    Retrieved from https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/biggest-infrastructure-investment-history-of-nsw-national-parks

South Australia
In 2020, the South Australian Government                          SA Environment Minister David Speirs said
announced new funding for national parks,                         “The Marshall Liberal Government’s record                                       This once-in-a-
taking total investment by the Marshall                           investment will help us achieve our aim of                                 generation investment
Government to more than $130 million.                             doubling the state’s nature and heritage                                     will not only support
This investment will enhance visitor                              tourism expenditure to $3.4 billion over the
infrastructure in parks across Australia                          next decade, creating 4,000 new jobs”.
                                                                                                                                              regional communities
including at the Flinders Ranges, Yorke                                                                                                       and create local jobs,
Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula, Fleurieu                                                                                                            but also protect our
Peninsula, Barossa Valley and Adelaide                                                                                                        precious environment
Hills.
                                                                                                                                             for future generations.**

                                                                                                                                                  – SA Premier Steven Marshall
** Marshall, S. and Speirs, D. (2020, November 7). Record investment in South Australia’s parks [Media Release].
Retrieved from: https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/news/media-releases/news/record-investment-in-south-australias-parks

                                                                                         Working with Nature: Restoring landscapes and supporting regional economic recovery.                    35
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