The Rangelands Declaration
What is this about?
The Declaration is intended to provide a broad and meaningful statement about the rangelands country of Queensland.
It provides a base upon which further conversations can take place with a sense of shared purpose. It is intended to operate in the context of individuals, communities, institutions, corporations and agencies.
The Declaration is about a conversation and a commitment to action that includes government, industry, science, and community ... but ultimately it is not *owned* by any of these sectors.
The Declaration is owned and implemented by everyone who supports it.
Fresh perspectives. (Photo: Northern Gulf Resource Management Group)
Many views: a better way forward
We all see the issues and opportunities from our own perspectives, so the Declaration invites many interpretations.
The strength of the Declaration is in the commitment supporters to engage in dialogue toward a better future.
The Declaration does not detail what the future will be: it is a signpost suggesting a path toward the possibilities.
We all want clear benefits and real outcomes...
It is easy enough to say that we all wish to build more opportunities for our families and our communities in the years to come.
It is clear that our prosperity depends on an abundant and healthy environment.
And we know that we have the skills and intelligence to work toward these goals.
So what gets in our way?
In simple terms, we're still learning how to get along. This is as true at an individual level as it is in our institutions.
The past 35 years have in Australia have been dominated by a culture of competition. This stripped away a lot of fat and inefficiency in commercial enterprises, but it also stripped away much of the trust, generosity, and congeniality that is essential to a good life.
Happily, we have started to turn away from an excessive emphasis on competition, even if our politics and media are still saturated with polarised shouting matches. More and more, people are deciding that things need to improve, and that process starts with each of us making room for one another.
This is about everyone
The better future includes all of us...young, old, rural, urban, academic, practical, conservative, radical, far-sighted, short-sighted, bold, timid, greedy and giving. The only path forward is the one that we all walk.
This is a new cultural practice for many of us, and we have a lot of growing to do. We need to be patient. We're still getting the hang of how to cooperate, organise, and compete with one another in a positive way.
The Declaration is a sign of willingness to come together, leave our pre-conceptions at the door, and talk through issues until we start to discover the edges of new perspectives that offer solutions better than any of us had thought of before.
Want to learn more?
No. 1 bore at Murweh Station, Warrego District, depth 1800 feet, estimated flow 3,000,000 gallons per day when tapped in 1897.(Photo: Queensland State Archives)