A narrative to support the future of the Australian Outback

Abstract:

Stories matter: as powerful frames for policy and public understanding, but the current narratives about Outback Australia are both confused and often negative. We illustrate this power of stories, including how deliberate framing and story-telling to create a better narrative on some rangeland issues has had positive policy outcomes. Moving to a more intuitive name is one key issue – we suggest that talking of the ‘Modern Outback’ is a powerful change in this regard. We then draw on discussions to provide a set of guiding principles for how to frame writings about the Outback, and give an example of their use.