The NSW Aboriginal Water Initiative (AWI) was launched in 2012 to engage Aboriginal communities in water management and ensure their cultural values and uses are recognized. The AWI team works to identify important cultural sites and values to inform water planning. They have engaged over 90 communities so far. However, without further funding, the team may lose 6 members after June 2016. The AWI helps meet various state, commonwealth, and basin plan requirements regarding Indigenous engagement and values. Their flexible process involves community workshops and information sharing to document values for water planning.

1. Engaging NSW Aboriginal People in Water
Bradley Moggridge
Team Leader Aboriginal Water Initiative
MWD Showcase 19 May 2015

2. Cultural Value of Water
The oldest living culture on the driest inhabited
continent and Aboriginal people are not part of
“western water management”
We do not have the opportunity to identify how,We do not have the opportunity to identify how,
when and where water flows in Australia
Aboriginal Water Initiative is on its way to fix this

3. Landscape with no Aboriginal Water

4. Landscape with Aboriginal Water
Just
add
water

5. NSW Aboriginal Water Initiative (AWI)
In 2011, NSW Treasury confirmed the approval of
$1.69million per annum for up to June 2016, the
funding was received from Commonwealth – Closing
the Gap
The program is to ensure ongoing effective
engagement with Aboriginal communities
• We launched the AWI in 2012

6. NSW Aboriginal Water Initiative (AWI)
The AWI team (currently 11 in total soon to be
13)
• 10 Identified Aboriginal Water professionals,
• 4 permanent staff• 4 permanent staff
• HOWEVER – 30 June 2016 AWI may lose 6 team
members if we don’t secure any funding
Currently the only Aboriginal Water unit in
Australia

7. The AWI Team – April 2015
LtoR – Lillian Moseley, Barry Williams, Elizabeth Taylor, Geoffrey Dixon, Kara Talbot, Marcus
Lesley, Amardeep Grewal, Patricia Walker, Lyndal Betterridge, Rene Woods and Bradley
Moggridge. Missing: Dianne Connolly
June 2016 AWI may lose 6 team members if we don’t secure any funding

8. Aboriginal Water Initiative (AWI)
NSW Water Management Act 2000 s3 Objects:
c) (iii) benefits to culture and heritage, and
(iv) benefits to the Aboriginal people in relation to
their spiritual, social, customary and economic use of
land and waterland and water
The Aboriginal Water Initiative (AWI) specific
performance indicators:
• providing water for Native Title rights
• recognising spiritual, social, customary and economic
values of water to Aboriginal people

9. AWI Task
9 New WSP’s
22 WRP’s
6 FMP’s
9 Bioregional
AssessmentAssessment
Subregions
WSP – Water Sharing Plan
WRP – Water Resource Plan
FMP – Floodplain Management Plan

10. Meeting State and Commonwealth
Requirements
NSW State Plan 2021 and PSC Aboriginal
Employment Strategy 2014-2017
NSW Water Management Act 2000
COAGS National Water Initiative:COAGS National Water Initiative:
• NWI Clauses - 25(ix) and 52 to 54 (Indigenous
engagement and Native Title)
Murray Darling Basin Plan:
• Part 14 - Indigenous Values and Uses
Federal Governments Bioregional Assessments
and Closing the Gap

11. AWI Engagement Process
AWI process has to be flexible, this is our
base model: Negotiable with every community
Stages of AWI Engagement
AWI establish contacts
1. Reconnecting and Protocols
AWI’s main
resource
2. Workshops
3. Follow-up
4. Information Agreement
(Protection of IP)
5. Collect Values on Country
6. Value upload to AWIS database
7. Monitoring
resource

12. Water Dependant Cultural Values and Uses
Surface water and groundwater dependent cultural values and uses:
• Creation sites and cultural hero stories linking with spiritual significance along
a song line/dreaming tracks - non-tangible (“Dreaming Sites, Songlines”);
• Language (connects culture to place);
• Resource sites for traditional bush foods and medicines;
• Resource sites for artefacts, tools, art and crafts;
• Gender specific sites – men’s and women’s business;• Gender specific sites – men’s and women’s business;
• Ceremonial sites;
• Burial places/sites;
• Teaching sites;
• Massacre sites where frontier battles occurred with traditional groups;
• Cultural specific environmental conditions to sustain totemic species;
• Sustain a cultural economy; and
• Sites that contain physical/tangible evidence of occupation: middens,
campsites, scarred and carved trees, stone arrangements and fish traps

13. Byrock Aboriginal
Rockhole
Downstream to left Baiame’s Ngunnhu and Brewarrina fish ladder

14. AWI Inputs into Water Planning
Cultural Values and Uses collected can:
• Inform development and review of water plans
• Inform rules and conditions in plans such as setbacks /
buffers distances for new works, cease to pump
• Inform flow requirements – minimum or maximum• Inform flow requirements – minimum or maximum
• Influence Interagency Regional Panel (IRP) deliberations
• Inform Aboriginal specific licensing – CAL / ACDL
• Inform performance review of water sharing plans
• Allow for monitoring of cultural values for the life of the Plan
• Inform Environmental Watering, just ask us

15. Lessons so far for AWI
Employ Aboriginal Staff to engage Aboriginal
Communities – ensure gender balance (GAE 101)
Build the teams capacity early
Need strong leadership and Executive sponsors
Need adequate resources and funds
Strong comms – tell a deadly story (Water Yarning)Strong comms – tell a deadly story (Water Yarning)
Good governance – policies, procedures, protocols
Need to be flexible and patient(i.e. after hour meeting)
Keep evolving and adapting to community needs
Be impartial - engage all
Don’t be afraid to ask government for improvements
Build the Departments Cultural Awareness - ACAT
GAE = Government Aboriginal Engagement

16. Our Water Our Country
6min video:
http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/Water-management/Water-
sharing-plans/Aboriginal-Water-Initiative/Information-
manual/Information-manual-for-Aboriginal-communities

17. Yaluu
Questions?Questions?
Contacts: 0417 252 667
Emails: AWI.program@dpi.nsw.gov.au
bradley.moggridge@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Web: http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/water-management/water-
sharing/aboriginal-communities