Listed as Least Concern because, although it is patchily distributed, it has a wide distribution, presumed large population, occurs in (and most of the range is within) protected areas, and is unlikely to be declining at nearly the rate required to qualify for listing in a threatened category. However, continued monitoring and research into threats is needed.

This species is endemic to northern Australia, where it occurs in rocky areas of the Kimberley (Western Australia) and western Top End (monsoonal areas of the Northern Territory) as far east as the Daly River. It was formerly considered to occur also across the Top End, but Potter et al. (2014) recognised that these eastern populations as a distinct species, P. wilkinsi. Abbott and Burbidge (1995) listed no records from islands. Potter et al. (2014) reported it from two islands (Monsmont and Bullanyin) within the man-made Lake Argyle. Two subspecies are recognised: P. brachyotis brachyotis from the Kimberley to just west of the Victoria River; and P. b. victoriae from a restricted area east of the Victoria River (including Bradshaw and upper Fitzmaurice River).

The Western Short-eared Rock-wallaby is locally common (e.g., Fisher and Woinarski 2002, Ondei et al. 2020), though patchily distributed. There are no data on density, no robust evidence of population size and no estimates of population trajectory (although there is some limited monitoring at some sites: e.g., Mornington Marion Downs Wildlife Sanctuary: Lowe et al. 2023). The species appears to have persisted at all known sites. The population size is most likely >10,000 mature individuals, given that it is at least locally abundant; but any population estimate has a high degree of uncertainty.

This species occurs in low rocky cliffs, hills, and gorges, with vegetation ranging from hummock grasslands to rainforests (e.g. Ondei et al. 2020).

The impacts of any plausible threats to this species are not well resolved. Based mostly on studies of the closely related Petrogale wilkinsi, it is likely that habitat quality is optimised with a regime of small low-intensity fires that result in a fine-scale mosaic of vegetation types and ages-since-fire (Telfer and Garde 2006, Radford et al. 2015, Radford et al. 2020). One study found this species was abundant in long-unburnt areas (Ondei et al. 2020). Hence, it is likely to be disadvantaged by regimes of frequent, extensive and high intensity fires - although the rugged nature of its habitat may moderate some fire impacts. Feral cats are known predators of rock-wallabies (Woolley et al. 2019), but are relatively uncommon in at least some of the more rugged areas inhabited by this species (Hohnen et al. 2016).

This species is locally common in several conservation reserves (e.g., Purnululu, Drysdale River, Mirima, Gregory, Mornington Marion Downs Wildlife Sanctuary) and Indigenous Protected Areas. Priority research and management needs include: long-term monitoring at more sites, research into impacts of possible threats (and their management), and research into responses to fire regimes. Management is producing favourable fire regimes at some sites (Legge et al. 2011).