Last century and for the greater part of this century Aboriginal people who lived and worked on the stations were the backbone of the pastoral industry. It is well documented that the first waves of pastoral expansion into the rangelands were generally characterised by violence and killings as Aboriginal peoples fought to defend their land, resources and sacred sites. This phase was often followed by the realisation that, without the skills, knowledge of the land and cheap labour provided by local Aboriginal people, individual pastoral enterprises were not viable. Although conditions and treatment were often brutal, where this form of co-existence developed Aboriginal people became highly skilled in cattle work and were able to maintain traditional laws and customs. In relatively recent times, the advent of equal pay and increased mechanisation of the industry resulted in some groups being forced off their land, despite their decades of backbreaking work to establish the stations.
Many Aboriginal people have informal access arrangements with pastoralists.
This informal coexistence is, however, still highly uncertain for indigenous peoples. The leaseholder or manager can decide at any time to lock the gates and bar entry to traditional landowners whose religious and cultural responsibilities to country do not stop at pastoral lease boundaries. Aboriginal peoples all over Australia are locked out of their country on cattle stations. The National Indigenous Working Group has developed a proposal for a formal process of co-existence which recognises and respects the rights and interests of all who have a stake in the pastoral rangelands. The High Court's decision on the Wik case was clear that although native title rights could coexist with the rights of pastoralists on pastoral leases, the pastoralists' rights would prevail if there was a conflict between the two sets of rights.