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Nine paired sites, one grazed and the other enclosed from cattle grazing, were assessed using modified dry-weight-rank and comparative yield procedures. The enclosures were all longterm, varying in age from 15 to 30 years. They represented four different vegetation associations: mulga woodland with mixed grass pasture, mixed open woodland, shrubby annual grasslands and Mitchell grass plains. Two locations were discounted due to site factors. Of the remainder, five sites revealed little difference in vegetation composition following exclosure. The grazed components of the two final sites demonstrated an increased stability as a result of large increases in valuable perennial grass species. This shows that current grazing practices do not inevitably lead to resource degradation and can enhance both stability and productivity. Cattle grazing can be compatible with the arid rangelands.