WA’s pastoral industry inks deal with NORFORCE to bolster biosecurity, resilience and long-term employment

WA’s northern pastoral industry has formed a powerful new alliance with the Australian Army which both hope will bolster biosecurity and community resilience while unlocking “long-term employment and leadership opportunities”. The Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen’s Association inked a memorandum of understanding with NORFORCE at KPCA’s 10-year anniversary conference in Broome late last week, with both lauding the partnership as a “bold step forward”. NORFORCE, which stands for North West Mobile Force, is an Australian Army reserve unit that conducts surveillance and reconnaissance patrols across northern Australia — the biggest operational area of any military force in the world. KPCA chief executive Bron Christensen said under the MOU, pastoral workers would have the chance to contribute to NORFORCE operations while maintaining their employment in the cattle industry. “This helps them gain year-round stability, transferable skills and broader career horizons,” she said. “This alliance positions KPCA and NORFORCE at the forefront of safeguarding Australia’s northern frontier where defence, industry and community unite to build a stronger, more secure future. “By combining NORFORCE’s operational excellence and local knowledge with KPCA’s strong industry networks, we’re building a shared framework of protection and progress.” The agreement cements a partnership aimed at strengthening regional biosecurity, bolstering community resilience, and creating new employment and leadership pathways across northern Australia. NORFORCE already has a similar arrangement in place with the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association. “This collaboration will not only safeguard our cattle, land and livelihoods, it will create pathways for continuous professional growth and leadership within northern communities,” Ms Christensen said. Commanding Officer NORFORCE Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Cooper was present at the signing of the MOU in Broome, telling ABC Country Hour the organisation was looking to recruit more members who were also working on cattle stations in the Kimberley. “So in the wet season, when the cattle industry is not as busy, we can be training them up in the Army,” he said. “We are looking to recruit ... a younger cohort around the ages of 18-25. I think a young person working on a station obviously knows the bush, can probably shoot, can probably drive, and are not afraid of hard work. “So by getting someone like that into our unit and blending that part of the workforce with our indigenous soldiers, that blend will create a really good future workforce for NORFORCE.” Ms Christensen said NORFORCE’s strength lay in the deep connection it had to its members, many of whom were Aboriginal soldiers, and the link with the pastoral sector would amplify both “organisations’ ability to protect and serve northern Australia”. She said the partnership honoured northern Australia’s legacy of courage and co-operation, in the spirit of the World War II “Nackeroos”, while forging a future defined by shared purpose and opportunity. Speaking at the conference, Mr Cooper said the partnership was a logical one given the Australian Army had been working with the pastoral industry since the end of WWII. The “Nackeroos” were members of the 2/1st North Australia Observer Unit, a secretive Australian military unit formed in May 1942 to patrol northern Australia and watch for signs of a Japanese invasion. Also nicknamed “Curtin’s Cowboys”,the unit was composed of 500-550 men, many of whom were skilled bushmen and horsemen, and operated in small patrols, often on horseback. The signing capped off a record-breaking turnout at KPCA’s 10-year anniversary conference in Broome, which brought together pastoralists, industry leaders and defence representatives from across the north. Pastoral workers keen to find out more have been encouraged to speak to their station manager and consider applying for the NORFORCE intake assessment and recruit course each October.