01
Consult
Present to the YAC Board and a community meeting. Agree priorities and who may share knowledge.
Section 06 — Implementation and cost
How the pathway would be delivered, and what it costs
A pilot in one dry season, reviewed with YAC before the wet, expanded only if the community wants it.
6.1Four steps
Planned around the seasons
02
Prepare
Confirm mentors, Elders, school, transport and dates. Print the records.
03
Pilot
Run one dry-season cycle with a small cohort.
04
Review
Review with YAC before the wet; decide changes and any second block.
Figure 4 sets these steps against the seasons and school holidays.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Season
Pathway
6.2Implementation
Construction, training, upkeep and handover
Set-up, training, upkeep, repair and handover to the community.
Construction
Nothing is built. The only item is the printed record, from one A4 template.
Training
A half-day mentor briefing before the first block: the record, sign-offs, safety. Run by YAC thereafter.
Introduction
To the YAC Board, then a community meeting, before anything runs.
Management
YAC sets dates and cohort size; the school releases students.
Maintenance and repair
Records reprinted yearly. A lost record is re-signed from the mentor’s copy; a cancelled block moves to a backup date.
Ownership
Template, stages and records stay with YAC.
6.3Evaluation
How the pathway would be evaluated
Lama Lama People set what success looks like. Three areas to start that conversation.
Cultural connection
Time on Country with Elders, and knowledge passed on as the community decides.
Capability
Stage tasks completed and signed off.
Job readiness
Junior Rangers reaching Stages 3 and 4, trials taken up, credit gained.
6.4Cost analysis
What the pilot costs
Low cost, because it uses existing Ranger work and in-kind mentoring. Port Stewart is in Queensland, so local currency is AUD; all figures in Table 3 are AUD.
| Item | Quantity | Unit | Total | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Printed progress records | 30 sheets | ≈ $0.20 | ≈ $6 | A4 colour, existing printer | Team estimate |
| Folder or sleeve | 15 | ≈ $1.50 | ≈ $23 | Protects the sheet on Country | Team estimate |
| Transport and fuel | 1 block | — | ≈ $1,100 | Diesel for the pilot block | Nicholls, 2022 |
| Mentor time | 20 Ranger-days | In-kind | $0 cash | Within the Ranger Work Plan | Team estimate |
| Elder participation | Per block | Honoraria | Set by YAC | Set by YAC | — |
| Training (Cert II) | Per student | Concessional | No co-contribution | Co-contribution fee waived for First Nations students | Dept of Trade, Employment and Training, 2026 |
Estimated total: roughly $1,100–$1,500 AUD cash per pilot cycle, dominated by transport, plus 20 Ranger-days in-kind and Elder honoraria set by YAC.
6.5Value for money
Is this reasonable for a remote community?
Reasonable cost
The only cash cost is transport. Fuel on Cape York runs about 25 cents per litre above Cairns (Nicholls, 2022), so $1,100 reflects remote prices, not a city figure. Everything else is existing work or a printed sheet.
Justifying it to stakeholders
Every line in Table 3 names its basis and source. The pathway adds no staff, equipment or infrastructure, so YAC can weigh it against a single grant round rather than an ongoing budget line.
Efficiencies
Mentoring travel rides on Ranger trips already in the Work Plan, so no extra vehicle movements are needed. The department pays location loadings for face-to-face training in Cape York, lowering regional delivery cost (Department of Trade, Employment and Training, 2026). The record is a reusable template neighbouring Ranger groups could adopt at no marginal cost.
6.6End of life
Maintenance and end of life
No structures or devices are introduced, so there is almost nothing to dispose of.
- The record is one sheet of paper, kept or recycled.
- No devices or structures are introduced, so there is nothing to dispose of.
- If the pathway stops, only the stage definitions and template remain.
6.7Funding
Where support could come from
These would cover transport and allow a second block.
Looking after Country grant
Queensland Government grants of up to $75,000 for First Nations communities caring for Country.
Indigenous Rangers Program
Australian Government funding for Indigenous Ranger groups caring for Country.
Fee-for-service (optional)
Only if Lama Lama chooses. Can fund positions and expand training.
The pathway does not generate income and is not intended to. Fee-for-service is listed only because NIAA (2022) identifies it as an option, and only if Lama Lama chooses it.