Thank you to everyone who helped get us to Canberra last month to advocate for buffel grass to become a Weed of Nation Significance. Our community contributed financially, by putting pen to paper, and even making thorny devil metal sculptures for us to take along with us. 

Your support allowed us to join the power delegation that included Eastern Arrernte woman Camille Dobson, ALEC's Policy and Advocacy Officer, Kat Herbert, Traditional Owners from APY Lands including Lois Fraser, Garth Forrester from the Central Land Council, and representatives from Alinytjara Wiluṟara Landscape Board, SA Government and Invasive Species Council.

Our delegation went to Parliament House in March to raise awareness of the issue and talk truth to power. Buffel grass is taking over huge areas of inland Australia and the impacts to environments, communities, cultures and non-cow economies are catastrophic. 

Our trip in numbers: 

• Six advocacy meetings including with three ministerial offices
• One Senate speech on buffel grass, documenting its impact on the arid lands in Hansard. 
• At least five national media stories 
• We handed over 1300 petition signatures  

Our SA and NT delegation met with the Federal Minister for Environment, Murray Watt, where Traditional Owners sat face to face with him and told him about the devastation of buffel on their Country - can’t say we didn’t warn him.

We handed over the buffel grass petition to the Minister for Agriculture’s office - all your signatures went directly to those who can make a difference.

We garnered media attention by hosting a press conference with Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Senator David Pocock spotlighted the devastation of buffel on Country and culture in a speech in the Senate;

In our press conference with Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, we heard from multiple Traditional Owners, had great attendance from the press gallery, and we received significant national media coverage. 

Senator Pocock spoke on the buffel grass in the senate in the Senate, putting buffel grass and the communities impacted by it into Hansard. He said:

“For First Nations communities, this is not only an ecological crisis but a cultural one, affecting access to country, bush foods, medicines and cultural knowledge. That is why buffel grass should be listed as a weed of national significance, but this issue also speaks to something bigger.”

We asked the Minister for Environment for more funding to protect threatened species from buffel grass as well as support the listing for buffel grass as a Weed of National Significance. He, and staff from the Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Indigenous Affairs, heard from Eastern Arrernte Traditional Owner, Camille Dobson, about the direct impact from buffel on her Country and culture. Traditional Owners from APY Lands spoke powerfully about how buffel is making their Country sick, restricting access and preventing passing on culture to future generations.

We also met with SA Senator Charlotte Walker,QLD MP Julie-Ann Campbell and several Greens offices, to build allies in Parliament across the nation.  A few people we met confirmed that our story is being heard more and more, telling us that, “your advocacy is cutting through, we hear you loud and clear”. We will keep going until we see national action on this issue.

Buffel grass is an issue that is being talked about on the national stage. Politicians have heard directly from Traditional Owners about the impacts of buffel on their Country and their culture. We are building momentum and will continue to pursue every possible option for action on buffel grass. 

With our collective community support, will the politicians be brave enough to act before it’s too late?