Working together on Indigenous Water – Communiqué
More than seventy community representatives of Australia’s First Peoples gathered
at the First Peoples’ National Water Summit in Adelaide this week to develop advice
on how Indigenous water should be managed.
The two day Summit was convened by the First Peoples’ Water Engagement
Council (FPWEC), which was formed to provide advice to the National Water
Commission on national Indigenous water issues.
The members of the FPWEC are Cheryl Buchanan, (Kooma (Gwamu)),George
Cooley (Yanyula and Antakirinja Mutu-Yankuntjatjara), Phil Duncan (Gomeroi),
Bradley Moggridge (Kamilaroi), Lillian Moseley (Dunghutti), Robert Dalton
(Mudburra) and Brian Wyatt (Yued and Banyjima).
Summit attendees discussed numerous Australia’s First Peoples water-related topics
including:
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gaining respect and recognition for cultural values and aspirations
potential allocation of water entitlements to support economic development
and cultural needs
opportunities to improve decision making and partnerships in water planning
and management.
The first day of the Summit was for Australia’s First Peoples' attendees only and was
opened by Paul Caica, the South Australian Minister for Water and Aboriginal
Affairs.
Important Australia’s First Peoples water issues were outlined by David Collard,
Dean AhChee, Cheryl Buchanan, Lillian Moseley, Marcia Langton, Geoff Scott, Joe
Ross and Ian Perkins.
The attendees then worked together to develop a national position on how
Australia’s First Peoples can gain access to water and how water can be better
managed to provide for Indigenous needs.
During this discussion, the Council was assisted by a group of eminent Australia’s
First Peoples including Brian Wyatt, Melissa George, Neva Collings, Geoff Scott, Joe
Morrison, and Les Malezer.
Their role was to ensure that accurate feedback from Summit attendees was
conveyed to the FPWEC and included in the final policy advice.
On the second day, a broader audience including federal, state and territory
government water policy makers, National Water Commissioners, academics and
other stakeholders joined the Summit to discuss how Australia’s First Peoples water
needs can be taken up and acted upon.
FPWEC Chair Phil Duncan said, ‘The Council will now use the Summit outcomes to
develop formal advice to the National Water Commission on Australia’s First
Peoples’ water issues.
‘This will inform the Commission’s findings as it develops a position on how
Australia’s First Peoples’ water should be managed in the future.
‘Last year, through our Biennial Assessment submission, we advised the
Commission that more could be done to address Australia’s First Peoples’
expectations in the allocation and management of water resources.
‘The Commission consequently found in its recent report to the Council of Australian
Governments (COAG) that most states and territories have improved their
consultation with Australia’s First Peoples’ communities on water planning and
management.
'However, it also told COAG that our states and territories' efforts to incorporate
effective strategies for achieving Australia’s First Peoples’ social, spiritual and
customary objectives in water plans, as envisaged under the National Water
Initiative, have been patchy.
'The Commission recommended that Australian states and territories better use
engagement processes to explicitly account for Australia’s First Peoples’ water
values and requirements in water planning.
'It also identified a requirement to build Australia’s First Peoples’ capacity to
participate in water planning and management, including recognition of Indigenous
knowledge of water systems and found that specific allocations of water for
Australia’s First Peoples remains patchy.
Attachment: List of organisations attending the Summit
Australian Water Association
Aboriginal Land Council
Australian Conservation Foundation
Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
CSIRO
SA, Department for Water
WA, Department of Water
Cwlth, Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
(FaHCSIA)
Cwlth, Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Populations and
Communities
Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre
Fitzroy Basin Association Inc
First Peoples' Water Engagement Council
Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee
Indigenous Land Management Facilitators Network
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Head Office
Goldfields Land and Sea Council
Kooma Traditional Owners Association Inc
Lake Eyre Basin Community Advisory Committee
Lawlab
Lingiari Foundation
Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council
Murray-Darling Basin Authority
Murray Wetlands Working Group
Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations
Muruwung Gajerrong Corporation
NAILSMA Indigenous Water Policy Group
National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility
National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples
National Centre for Groundwater Research
National Native Title Council
National Parks & Wildlife SA
National Water Commission
National Farmers Federation Water Taskforce
Northern Gulf Indigenous Savannah Group
North Australian Indigenous Land & Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA)
Northern Murray-Darling Basin Aboriginal Nations (NBAN)
NSW Office of Water
NT, Power and Water Corporation
NTS Corporation
Ninti One
SA Aboriginal Lands Trust
South Australian Native Title Services Ltd
South West NRM Group
Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre
University of Melbourne, Australian Indigenous Studies
Wagiman Association, Northern Territory
Water Stewardship Australia Technical Advisory Committee
Western Desert Lands Aboriginal Corporation
Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA)
Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation