Australia’s north is home to the largest, most intact tropical savannah systems left on Earth. Fringed by coastal rainforests and coral reefs, its savannah woodlands, stone country and spinifex-clad ranges sweep 2,500 kilometres from the Kimberley through Kakadu to Cape York.
The extraordinary nature and culture of northern Australia is recognised along with seven World and National Heritage-listed sites: Kakadu, Uluru, the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Coast, Purnululu, the Kimberley and the Riversleigh fossil site. This underpins thousands of jobs in tourism.
Right now, huge shale gas fields, fracking, extensive land clearing, giant mines, ports, industrial development and massive new dams threaten the north. The laws that protect our air, water and wildlife are under pressure and underperforming.
A better future for people and nature in the north is to create a resilient and diverse economy that sustains the intact savannah landscapes, free flowing rivers and wetlands. People can work in tourism, clean energy, sustainable agriculture, arts, education and land and water management.
We can choose to protect and manage the natural and cultural heritage of the Kimberley, Kakadu and Cape York Peninsula.
Indigenous people can combine traditional knowledge with new technology and approaches to sustain healthy country and communities.
People will be able to explore the north – from the Kimberley to Kakadu to Cape York – and know the country’s original owners are continuing to look after these culturally and ecologically rich landscapes.