NAILSMA has been engaged in water management since 2006 when the Indigenous Water Policy Group (IWPG) was formed. The 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. 

The IWPG worked in parallel with the NAILSMA Indigenous Community Water Facilitator Network (ICWFN) (2088-11). The ICWFN acted 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.

NAILSMA has engaged in various water related research agendas. NAILSMA is continuing to work with TRaCK through its Synthesis & Adoption Year (2011-12). A partnership with the Tropical River and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) was formed (2007-11) to develop a research program that ensured Indigenous aspirations were considered with respect to the national water reform agenda of the National Water Initiative. NAILSMA is also working with the federally funded Northern Australia Water Futures Assessment through its Cultural and Social Program (2011 - 12). This program is aimed to improve understanding of community cultural, spiritual, recreational and economic values of northern Australia's water resources and aquatic ecosystems.

These partnerships, along with the IWPG, provide a strategic pathway for Indigenous participation in public policy formulation, and in the debate about northern waters through the integration of Indigenous knowledge with scientific and technical data. The knowledge gained through these programs will inform other agendas, such as the recently convened Indigenous Experts Forum on Sustainable Economic Development that directly informs the Northern Australian Ministerial Forum convened by the Department of Regional Australia and Development and Local Government to consider a future strategic northern framework.

The Water Resource Management Program also participates in and delivers forums, such as the International Water Experts Forum (2008), the North Australian Indigenous Experts Water Futures Forum (2009), a series of community water planning meetings (2011-12) and further Indigenous Experts Forums (2012-2013). Forums allow for experts to come together to share experiences, challenges and aspirations for Indigenous sustainable water resource management.

To date, NAILSMA has brought these initiatives together under its Indigenous Water Resource Management Program to glean interests, debate direction and formulate ideas for research and policy. Though formally launched in March 2010, NAILSMA's first water policy statement was issued in November 2009.

Priority focus areas  

The Indigenous Water Resource Management Program focuses on five priority areas raised by the National Water Commission for north Australian 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 agencies. 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. It will:

1. assist in empowering Indigenous people in decision making and implementation regarding the management of surface and ground water habitats and resources,
2. assist in empowering Indigenous people in planning for water allocations, whether they are allocations for cultural, economic, environmental or social purposes, and
3. 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.

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 to be consistent across Australia. To speed up this plan, 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 was chaired by Joe Ross, examined the potential for new developments in north Australia that rely on significant local or regional water resources and consulted with stakeholders in the north to identify opportunities for further development. A final report on the findings of the Taskforce was released February 2010. This initiative has informed the development of the Northern Australia Ministerial Forum and associated Northern Australia Indigenous Experts Forum on Sustainable Economic Development.

The Taskforce was under the auspice of the Office of Northern Australia. This Office was established under the former 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 north 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 Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and the National Water Commission to provide an enduring knowledge base to inform decisions about development of north Australia's water resources, so that any development proceeds in an ecologically, culturally and economically sustainable manner.

Page last updated November 2011