Cultural economic development

Why is this project important?

Aboriginal people have cared for Sea Country for thousands of years, passing on their knowledge and tradition to each new generation.

The Cultural Economic Development project is working with communities to increase the number of local Aboriginal people working on Sea Country both as employees and in their own businesses.

We are doing this by providing accredited training for marine skills qualifications (such as a Coxswain certificate) as well as business support.

Check out the videos below to see how participants have trained to work on Sea Country, or develop their own business on Sea Country, in the NSW Sea country Playlist.

Some Sea Country videos you can see include:

• Recycling on Sea Country
• Surveying Sea Country
• Becoming a deckhand on Sea Country
• Working the Smart Drumlines
• Training to dive on Sea Country
• Surveying life underwater on Sea Country at Cook Island
• Researching dolphins on Sea Country at Byron Bay.

What have we achieved so far?

• Coordinated services to develop five business plans for local Aboriginal businesses on the north and mid-north coast. These business plans are vital for any Aboriginal business with economic development aspirations within the marine estate.
• Two General Boat Licence courses were delivered to support Aboriginal communities to build skills, confidence and safe boating practices on their local waterways.
• Gummipingal Traditional Owners Corporation were supported to run a course for community members delivered by RTO ABC Boating to meet training requirements. Twenty-one participants completed the 2-day course at Lemon Tree Passage. This training has strengthened local capability, improved safety on Country and created new opportunities for upskilling and employment. It has also enabled Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) Rangers to operate more safely and efficiently on the marine estate.
• Darkinjung LALC were supported to run a General Boat Licence course for its Metro LALC Aboriginal Ranger Program. We again worked with ABC Boating to organise delivery, with 15 Rangers completing the course. Training began with a theory session at Green Point Community Hall before moving onto Darkinjung waters for practical components. The course has enhanced ranger capability and expanded opportunities for future work on the marine estate.
• Work progressed on the Pilot: Biirrinba – Living Dreaming, Living Seawalls project. With our team funding the project aims to enhance habitat in Birrinba by installing 20 Living Seawall boulder units.
• This offers an opportunity for an Indigenous-led project to both tell Dreaming stories of the Biirrinba while creating ‘Living Seawalls’, which supports the estuarine ecosystem.  To increase cultural awareness on Yaegl Country this project includes the design and installation of two educational and cultural knowledge sharing signs which are linked to local Aboriginal dreaming stories. Employment and training opportunities will be created  Birrinba – Living Seawalls project will create employment and training opportunities for 4 Aboriginal Rangers, an Aboriginal artist and a locally managed by Birrigan Gargle LALC.

Business support

We are supporting Aboriginal people to start and expand businesses such as cultural tourism, commercial and charter fishing across the NSW coast.

This business support includes assistance with business planning, marketing and grant writing.

Marine skills training

The marine skills training program is co-designed with Aboriginal communities across NSW and commenced in 2018.

This collaboration ensures all the programs are culturally appropriate and meet the needs of communities.

For instance, training programs include Aboriginal mentors to guide and assist participants through the course.

The high completion rate shows that this approach works.

To date, more than 300 Aboriginal people from communities up and down the NSW coast have participated in the program to gain qualifications as detailed below.

• Accredited training
• General Boat Licence
• Scientific Diver Certificate
• Senior First Aid Certificate
• Open Water Diver Certificate
• Certificate I in Maritime Operations (General Purpose Hand)
• Certificate II in Maritime Operations (Coxswain Grade 1 Near Coastal)
• Certificate II in Tourism
• Non-accredited training
• Flatwater training
• Plastic recycling training

Training has been conducted with Aboriginal communities across the NSW coast, from Tweed Heads to Eden.

Graduates have used these skills to gain employment in the industry and develop their own marine businesses.

Did you know?

Two Aboriginal owned and operated businesses, Gadu Charters and Joonga Land and Water Aboriginal Corporation Narooma, were awarded NSW Government SMART Drumline contracts through an open tender process in 2022.

Both businesses are staffed largely by graduates of this program.

Participant feedback

“I decided to do the course to further my knowledge and make myself more employable.”

Ron Pearce, Participant in Certificate II in Maritime Operations.

“We’re all saltwater people here, we all used to be seafarers here, so to do that again now is just amazing.”

Adrian Webster, Participant Certificate II in Maritime Operations.

“It has always been a goal of mine to work for Fisheries or National Parks so I can protect my sites and culture and hand that over to my community and my family.”

Gordon Campbell, Participant in General Boat Licence training.

Sea Country videos

Find out more about our projects through our Sea Country videos.

For more information about our achievements in Marine Estate Management Strategy, please visit our report page.

Training has occurred in multiple locations in NSW

• General Boat Licence (GBL) – Narooma, Huskisson, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Urunga, McLean and Ballina
• Deckhand – Huskisson and Narooma
• Coxswains – Huskisson, Narooma and Ballina
• Certificate II in Tourism – Narooma and Arrawarra
• Flatwater canoe training – Coffs Harbour

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

We are working with local councils, the Recreational Fishing Saltwater Trust Fund (DPI Fisheries), and other government agencies and communities to complete this project.