Indigenous Water Resource Management

NAILSMA has been engaged in water management issues since 2006 when the Indigenous Water Policy Group (IWPG) was formed. This engagement of Indigenous aspirations, issues and interests in water resource management in the north is based on the long term goal of sustainable management of water resources that provide for the health, cultural, social and economic well being of Indigenous communities.

Working in parallel with the IWPG is the recently established Indigenous Community Water Facilitator Network (ICWFN). Established in 2008, the ICWFN acts as a vehicle to ensure that Indigenous interests at the community level are articulated, encouraged and incorporated into water policy decisions, planning and water allocation processes.

In 2007, the Alliance formed a partnership with the Tropical River and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) research program to ensure that Indigenous aspirations be considered with respect to the national water reform agenda of the National Water Initiative. This partnership, along with the IWPG, provides a strategic pathway for Indigenous participation in public policy formulation, and the debate about northern waters through the integration of Indigenous knowledge with scientific and technical data.

The Water Resource Program also participates in and delivers forums, such as the International Water Experts Forum and the North Australian Indigenous Experts Water Futures Forum.

Background to government’s plan for National Water Reform

The National Water Initiative (2004) builds on the framework developed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) national water reform (1994) that recognised the need for water resource management across Australia. To speed up this plan, given that water resources in southern Australia are becoming more restricted, the Government has since formed a National Plan for Water Security (2007) that provided for the formation of the Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce. The Taskforce, which is chaired by Joe Ross, will examine the potential for new developments in northern Australia that rely on significant local or regional water resources and will consult with stakeholders in the north to identify opportunities for further development. The Taskforce is under the auspice of the Office of Northern Australia. This Office has been established under the current Rudd Labor Government to ensure that the top end of Australia shares in national prosperity and to facilitate the provision of high level policy advice on sustainable development issues affecting Northern Australia. In addition to this Office, the Australian Government is delivering a program called the Northern Australia Water Futures Assessment. This program is delivered by the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and the National Water Commission to provide an enduring knowledge base to inform decisions about development of northern Australia's water resources, so that any development proceeds in an ecologically, culturally and economically sustainable manner.

Priority focus areas

The Indigenous Water Resource Management project focuses on five priority areas raised by the National Water Commission for northern rivers.

1. Improve the capacity to develop and implement water management plans that incorporate environmental, cultural and economic factors in areas of strong inter-seasonal variation.
2. Enhance knowledge and understanding of river ecology and water-dependent ecosystems, including access to traditional knowledge.
3. Improved understanding of surface and groundwater interactions, particularly in the seasonally dry wet-dry tropics.
4. Efficient supply of high quality water to remote communities; appropriate management responses to the supply of water to isolated/remote communities.
5. Water accounting and assessment of water resources.

It is envisaged that these priority areas will be achieved by developing and maintaining collaborative relationships among partner organisations, researchers and other water users and managers, including State and Territory Government departments. The outcomes from communication and networking between Indigenous and non-indigenous managers and scientists involved in surface and ground water resource management is three fold:

1. It will assist in empowering Indigenous people in decision making and implementation regarding the management of surface and ground water habitats and resources
   

2. It will assist in empowering Indigenous people in planning for water allocations, whether they are allocations for cultural, economic, environmental or social purposes
   

3. It will improve the understanding of the wider Australian audiences of the rights, roles, responsibilities and achievements of Indigenous people in managing surface and ground water habitats and their resources and how this translates to benefits at the National level.