00:02This is just a slice of the 4 million hectares
00:05Yugawala Pastoral Company runs across 17 stations in northern Australia.
00:12Hayden and Jane Sayle started the pastoral enterprise with investors 20 years ago
00:17and now manage the vast portfolio, saying Indigenous partnerships have been vital.
00:22They're very, very long-term relationships.
00:24You can't shy from it, very difficult relationships.
00:27There's a lot of issues in the communities going on, lots of turnover of directors that you'd be dealing with.
00:32So you have to work at it.
00:34Five stations are subleased through traditional owners.
00:37Over the years I've encountered plenty in the pastoral space who put leasing Indigenous land in the too hard basket.
00:43But not only have the sales proven that it's possible, it's also a significant economic opportunity.
00:50A state primary industry report estimates 54% of the almost 22 million hectares of WA Aboriginal Lands Trust estate
00:58could potentially support pastoral operations.
01:01And every sublease has been a different arrangement because it depends what the community wants.
01:07Catherine Marriott now consults for the company but has worked extensively in northern cattle advocacy.
01:14Hayden and Jane have absolutely changed what is possible with Aboriginal people and Aboriginal land
01:19and they've done it with respect, they've done it by building relationships, they've done it by spending time
01:25and have a mutual benefit to the Aboriginal people and communities.
01:28Traditional owner Shirley Brown says the employment and training of local Indigenous workers on station is a priority.
01:35This is a big opportunity for us, you know, because we've got all our young kids coming up from school.
01:41We can just start talking to Jane and Hayden about pathways for them.
01:47Raising cattle and creating opportunities in the red dust.
