Summary of First Peoples’ National Water Summit
1
More than 70 Aboriginal delegates from across Australia met in
Adelaide for the First Peoples’ National Water Summit convened
by the First Peoples’ Water Engagement Council (FPWEC) on
March 29th and 30th, 2012. The Summit provided an opportunity
for delegates to discuss Aboriginal interests in the management
of water at the national level in Australia and to formulate
recommendations to inform and amend government policy.
The Summit offered a tribute to Matthew Rigney, who passed away on 18 August
2011 in Meningie, on the shores of Lake Albert in South Australia. He was a
Ngarrindjeri elder and leader who made an enormous contribution to Indigenous
affairs locally, nationally and internationally, and was a tireless advocate for
Indigenous rights to water. He was Chair of the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority Inc.,
Chair of the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations, the Ngarrindjeri Native
While the perspectives of the delegates were diverse, they agreed in principle with
the direction proposed by the FPWEC. Discussions, breakout sessions and
presentations helped to clarify the delegates’ advice to the FPWEC in regards to the
following topics:

The importance of cultural water, identifying cultural water requirements and
ensuring that these requirements are prioritised in water planning;

The importance of addressing Aboriginal peoples’ cultural water requirements
and of community decision-making in water management;

Active participation of Aboriginal people at all levels of water planning and
management;

The implications of the use of terminology such as “Indigenous” and
“Aboriginal”; “stakeholders” and “co-managers”; and “engagement” and
“consultation”, including the need for consistency in use and a glossary of
terms for a national picture.

The relationship between cultural and environmental water, and how they can
be co-managed to achieve common outcomes.

There is currently a lack of methods and research to facilitate the translation of
cultural values into Western science, hydrologic models and policy.

The potential allocation of water entitlements to support both cultural
requirements and economic development;

Principles for and approaches to achieve Strategic Indigenous Reserves;

Principles for institutional governance of Aboriginal cultural and economic water,
including the need for a National Aboriginal Water Strategy, Aboriginal
Economic Water Funds, and involvement of Aboriginal people in high level
water institutions;

The necessity of a national body, such as the FPWEC, to progress Aboriginal
water interests at the national level; and

The need for an Aboriginal Economic Water Fund and how to achieve and
implement this.
The feedback from these discussions will strengthen the FPWEC’s advice to the
National Water Commission.
Summary of First Peoples’ National Water Summit
2
Title Management Committee and a member of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial
Council's Community Advisory Committee.
On the first day of the Summit, delegates listened to presentations on Aboriginal
water for cultural and economic use. Breakout sessions followed the presentations
to allow time for discussion and feedback to the FPWEC. In the evening, delegates
enjoyed dinner at the Red Ochre Restaurant, including some impromptu
entertainment. On the second day of the Summit, it was back to business, with
government representatives joining the delegates for additional presentations and
discussions. The second day started with a report back and panel session to
communicate the outcomes of the first day to government representatives, industry
stakeholders and researchers.
The presentations on the second day showcased important work being done to
incorporate Aboriginal interests and involvement in water planning and management
across Australia. Furthermore, the presentations provided an opportunity for
delegates to discuss policy impediments with the government attendees. These
presentations included the following:
Aboriginal Community Engagement and Consultation in Water Sharing
Planning in NSW
David Harris, NSW Office of Water
This project is driven by the NSW Office of Water and aims to enhance
Aboriginal engagement in water planning, to capture baseline information on
Aboriginal performance indicators to inform the evaluation of water sharing
plans, to identify water dependent cultural assets, to establish networks
between staff and Aboriginal communities and to improve the delivery of water
management information relevant to Aboriginal communities.
Learnings of the Indigenous Water Policy Group and Indigenous Community
Water Facilitator Network Initiatives
Joe Morrison, NAILSMA
The key learnings of the Indigenous Water Policy Group and Indigenous
Community Water Facilitator Network initiatives of NAILSMA’s Indigenous
Water Resource Management Program were outlined. Principles for the
achievement of Strategic Indigenous Reserves in the north were also
presented.
Improving drinking water supply in remote communities using the Community
Water Planner Tools
Robyn Grey-Gardner, NWC
Robyn described small drinking water supplies in remote Aboriginal
communities in Australia and the key challenges to providing safe and reliable
drinking water. She discussed how community involvement in the whole
planning process of understanding the supply, developing their own strategies
and matching the strategies to the communities’ needs and resources can
lead to positive outcomes.
Summary of First Peoples’ National Water Summit
3
The legal recognition of Strategic Indigenous Reserves – The current situation
and future developments
Michael O’Donnell, Barrister
The legal basis for Strategic Indigenous Reserves and the opportunities they
present for Aboriginal communities was discussed.
International developments and the relevance in Australia of Indigenous
Peoples and Rights to Water
Les Malezer, National Congress
International developments were discussed, including relevant international
declarations, and the session explored how they relate to Australian
developments in regards to rights-based approaches to water.
Following the Summit, the FPWEC is tasked with providing formal advice to the NWC.
This advice will be based on the two years of work undertaken by the FPWEC since
its formation in 2010, including its own policy framework, and the feedback and ideas
presented at the Summit. When the FPWEC provides this advice to the NWC, it will
be circulated to the Summit delegates.
The FPWEC wishes to thank all the delegates and presenters who attended the
Summit for their continued dedication to advancing Aboriginal water interests and
issues at the national level in Australia.