GhostNets Australia, formerly known as the Carpentaria Ghost Nets Programme, began in 2004 as an alliance of 15 Indigenous communities managing 3,000km of northern Australian coastline. Since its inception, the organisation has supported Indigenous rangers from 40 different clan groups, to continue stewardship of their customary lands and adjacent marine environment. 

GhostNets Australia have supported Indigenous ranger groups to build capacity to manage ghost nets and provided funding with a ‘fee for service’ arrangement (2004-2013). The arrangement ensured rangers were adequately funded to record and remove ghost nets from some of the most northern beaches on the Australian coastline.

GhostNets Australia also contributed to the first year of employment costs for a full-time Coordinator for the Western Cape Turtle Threat Abatement Alliance.

Under the project, the support included supplying resources that included vehicles, net cutters, extra manpower where required, and help to negotiate partnerships with commercial entities such as mining companies and  fishing charters. 

Since the completion of the original arrangements, GhostNets Australia continue to support rangers to protect marine life, through the provision of training in data collection, ghost net identification and safe work practice.

With the visionary aim of working toward ghost net free oceans, the organisation has successfully expanded have its ethical reach beyond the nation's coastline, to the source of ghost nets.