Yirrayirra Waga-dyi Bush Dance
Yirrayirra Waga-dyi
Artist: Nathan Peckham, a proud Tubba-gah man from Wiradjuri Nation
Year: 2023
Commissioned by: Aboriginal joint management project
The story: This artwork is titled Yirrayirra Waga-dyi, which means ‘bush dance’ in Wiradjuri language. The artwork draws inspiration from the theme of Aboriginal people managing Country and culture on park reserves in partnership with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. It is a celebration of their connection to the land, sea, waters, and sky.
Much has happened since the former Minister for Environment, James Griffin, announced the development of a new model for Aboriginal joint management of NSW national parks on 3 July 2022.
A new Aboriginal Joint Management Unit has been established by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to oversee the development of the proposed new model.
This model will see the potential handback of title to every national park in New South Wales to Aboriginal owners over the next 15 to 20 years. Land would be leased back to the NSW Government for its continued use and management as national park.
The process
The consultation process will include targeted regional workshops and broad public consultation, including a request for input on the proposed model. There will be 3 broad stages of consultation:
- Stage 1 – will focus on understanding public aspirations and issues.
- Stage 2 – will invite comment on a draft model developed based on feedback from Stage 1.
- Stage 3 – will assess feedback from Stage 2, refine the proposed model and release of the updated model for public comment. Thirriwirri, an Aboriginal company that specialises in independent facilitation, was engaged to lead the regional Aboriginal workshops.
Stage 1 consultation
Participants watch a presentation about the Aboriginal joint management model at a custodians workshop in Ballina.
Stage 1 of the consultation was held in 2022–23. Regional Aboriginal workshops were held across the state and online. The workshops and online survey were open to Aboriginal people only. Details about Stage 1 are available on the Aboriginal Joint Management model consultation webpage.
1. Regional Aboriginal workshops are an ‘open-house’ facilitation style where participants can speak one-on-one or in small groups with Thirriwirri facilitators. The sessions are open to Aboriginal people only and anyone from the local Aboriginal community is welcome. Sessions commenced in late 2022 and there were workshops throughout February 2023.
An Aboriginal joint management regional Aboriginal workshop in progress in Katoomba.
2. Online Aboriginal Workshops were held for those who were unable to attend a workshop in person. Thirriwirri will be hosting 2 online sessions on Tuesday 14 February and Monday 27 February 2023. These sessions follow a similar format to the Regional Aboriginal workshops. Online participants were given the opportunity to answer questions and share their aspirations for joint management in small groups with a facilitator. These sessions are also open only to Aboriginal people.
3. An online survey was also available for Aboriginal people to provide feedback in their own time. The survey included the 6 key questions discussed during the Stage 1 workshops. The survey closed on 3 March 2023 at 11.59 pm (AEDT). The online survey was open to Aboriginal people only.
Stakeholder consultative groups
Two external consultative groups, an Aboriginal consultative group and stakeholder consultative group, and an inter-agency reference group advise NPWS in developing the new model.
The stakeholder representatives include:
- 4 current joint management custodians
- NSW Aboriginal Land Council
- Native Title Services, NTSCorp
- Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee
- La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council
- NSW Aboriginal Tourism Operators Council
- Tourism and Transport Forum Australia
- Australian Tourism Export Council
- Outdoors NSW and ACT
- Four Wheel Drive NSW & ACT Inc
- NSW Farmers Association
- a representative nominated by the National Parks Association of NSW and NSW Nature Conservation Council
- agencies across relevant areas of the NSW Government.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service staff with attendees of the Aboriginal Joint Management Custodians Workshop held in Dubbo.
Progress
Stage 1 workshops commenced in September 2023. Ten regional Aboriginal workshops and 4 custodians workshops were run in 2022. Some workshops were postponed due to local flooding, COVID-19 and Sorry Business. More Stage 1 workshops will be run in February 2023 starting at Armidale.
The workshops in late 2022 were attended by more than 100 participants, who showed genuine interest in the proposed Aboriginal joint management model and provided valuable input regarding their aspirations for, and their views about the model.
Workshop progress
| Workshops and participants | Custodian workshops | Regional Aboriginal workshops | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of workshops delivered | 4 | 10 | 14 |
| Number of attendees | 61 | 99 | 160 |
Upcoming workshops
| Planned and postponed workshops | Custodian workshops | Regional Aboriginal workshops | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of workshops planned for February/March 2023 | 9 | 7 | 16 |
| Number of workshops postponed due to Sorry Business, flooding, illness, etc. | – | – | 7 |
Workshop schedule
| Completed | Area | Upcoming | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 September 2022 | Narrabri | 1 February 2023 | Armidale (RAW) |
| 15 October 2022 | Dubbo | 2 February 2023 | Coffs Harbour |
| 1 November 2022 | Balina | 7 February 2023 | Broken Hill |
| 10 November 2022 | Katoomba (RAW) | 8 February 2023 | Broken Hill (RAW) |
| 14 November 2022 | Newcastle (RAW) | 10 February 2023 | Bourke |
| 15 November 2022 | Bulahdelah (RAW) | 13 February 2023 | Campbelltown (RAW) |
| 21 November 2022 | Grafton (RAW) | 15 February 2023 | Narooma |
| 21 November 2022 | Nowra (RAW) | 21 February 2023 | Wagga Wagga (RAW) |
| 22 November 2022 | Narooma (RAW) | 21 February 2023 | Griffith |
| 1 December 2022 | Redfern (RAW) | 22 February 2023 | Griffith (RAW) |
| 2 December 2022 | Kempsey (RAW) | 23 February 2023 | Moama |
| 7 December 2022 | Buladelah | 27 February 2023 | Online (RAW) |
| 8 December 2022 | Dubbo (RAW) | 2 March 2023 | Jindabyne |
| 9 December 2022 | Online (RAW) | 7 March 2023 | Katoomba |
| – | – | 9 March 2023 | Online |
Note: RAW = Regional Aboriginal workshop
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