Protecting our Country, Growing our Future

Story of the artwork

Our Country is vibrant, rich and nurturing. She heals and strengthens the spirits, minds and bodies of all who call her home. We are a part of Country and Country is a part of us in a sacred bond that connects us to the land, waterways, skies and all living things.

As Country cares for us through her generous and abundant gifts, we too must care for Country for she is the giver and sustainer of all life. We learn our ways of being and doing from Country as she calls us to live in moderation, not excess, to give much but only take what we need, and to consider the impact of every step we tread.

Country must thrive in order for life to flourish, so we take up our mantle as protectors and defenders, working together to grow a sustainable and prosperous future for our Country and for our people.

© Amy Allerton, contemporary Aboriginal Artist of the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi nations

About the artist: Amy Allerton

Amy is the founder and Managing Director of Indigico Creative, a graphic designer, photographer and contemporary Aboriginal artist. Amy is a Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung woman whose family’s traditional land is located in the Clarence Valley, NSW, in a rural area called Cangai. Amy has kinship ties to the Gamilaroi nation, with her identity being strongly grounded in Gamilaroi culture, history, dreaming, art and language having been born and raised in Tamworth, NSW.

Amy first started her business journey as a graphic designer in 2014 and has since been collaborating with businesses and partnering with communities Australia-wide to creatively communicate the stories that bring us together. After reconnecting with her artistic roots, Amy merged her skills in digital communication design with her art expression to deliver a modern approach to Aboriginal storytelling in the form of digital art. Amy’s artworks are an extension from her journey of exploring her own cultural identity, utilising her unique ability to speak in colour and imagery to create visual representations of the journeys and values of organisations and communities.

Explore the artwork

Protecting our Country, Growing our Future is rich in visual details that help to tell its story.

Scroll through the different parts of the artwork to discover these details.

Section

A green land mass along the left side of the artwork is international country.

Between international country and mainland Australia is the saltwater, which is a habitat for diverse sea life.

This saltwater region contains the 18 inhabited Torres Strait Islands.

A river winds its path through the Australian country before opening to the sea.

Communities gather along the banks of the river.

Freshwater life fills the river. Schools of fish swim through its waters. A yabby and mussels cluster at shorelines.

A longneck turtle is visible closer to the river mouth.

A Murray Cod, one of our many unique river species, swims further upstream.

Freshwater fishing has a long history in Australia. The Brewarrina fish traps visible near the Murray Cod are part of this heritage, as one of the oldest human-made structures in the world.

In Australia, our unique plant life and our agriculture are both varied and abundant.

Visible across the central land region near the river are flowers, vineyards, nuts and seeds, fruit and vegetables, as well as grasses.

Further to the right in the artwork are cattle, sheep, cotton and wheat.

Our native plant life is also present in the form of Eucalyptus trees, Acacia trees and Melaleuca trees. These are all visible around the top right corner of the artwork.

Offshoots of the river flow into these areas and communities gather around the water, showing the interconnectedness of water with all forms of life.

In the Torres Strait, the islands are all connected. These connections extend to sea communities on the Australian mainland. This symbolises trade and relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Near some of these seaside communities, nets are filled with ocean fish and groups of small boats leave the shore.

At the top of the artwork on the beach a figure is visible spear fishing.

These are examples of the many ways First Nations peoples and our fishery industries use the ocean as a source of food.

Our unique wildlife is present throughout the artwork.

On the land near the longneck turtle are goanna tracks and emu tracks.

Towards the top right corner of the artwork are kangaroo tracks, with a bird flying nearby.

In the bottom right corner, the Rainbow Serpent moves through the landscape. The creator spirit that formed the land and waterways, and everything that exists on them.

The industry sectors of our portfolio are all included in the artwork.

Each reflects the ancient knowledge and practices, the workers, leadership and impact of that industry.

Near the ocean, in blue, is Fisheries.

Further inland, on the river, is Agriculture.

Among the trees in the top right corner of the artwork is Forestry. It’s surrounded by 11 regional forestry hubs.

Below this, near the Rainbow Serpent, is a large ring with people seated at its centre.

This is First Nations knowledge, history and practices. This knowledge in caring for the land and waterways, and growing food and resources, ripples out into surrounding communities.

Connected to this circle is another group in grey, which is our department and Western science and knowledge in general.

Bringing together First Nations knowledge and practices with Western knowledge builds strength, unity and collaboration, and allows us to achieve results together.

Extending along the breadth of our shores is a green band. This is our national biosecurity systems and the people who develop and implement those systems.

Through this, we protect our rich plant and animal life, our people and our way of life, from the threat of pests and diseases.

Lines run through the artwork connecting First Nations peoples to agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and our department. These lines also connect to hubs at the border.

A series of connected hubs extend from our shores through the Torres Strait and into international locations.

This is the international trade and exports that we support and foster. This is part of growing strong agriculture, fishery and forestry industries.

Our First Nations artwork tells the complex and interwoven story of agriculture, fisheries and forestry in Australia.

A story that encompasses our diverse peoples, cultures, environment, plant and wildlife.

Our commitment

We are committed to the goal of First Nations economic self-determination.

We engaged First Nations creative agency Saltwater People to deliver this artwork. Saltwater People have extensive experience and expertise in working with First Nations artists, communities and organisations across Australia and the Pacific region.

See more on our commitment to First Nations peoples

Credits and use of the artwork

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry acknowledges that the artist, Amy Allerton, owns the copyright in the work Protecting our Country, Growing our Future 2024 and has the right to be attributed as the artist.

We have an exclusive, perpetual licence agreement in place. This allows us to use the artwork and its graphic elements under agreed terms.

We use the artwork in accordance with Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) rights.

No one else is permitted to use or reproduce the artwork.