Some attendees of the
second day of the 11th IWPG meeting in Darwin, March 2010. The
group included IWPG members, Policy Engagement Group (PEG), Water
Facilitators, Daly River and Adelaide River representatives,
guests, advisors and NAILSMA support staff.
L-R Back Row: Ian Perdrisat, Michael Storrs, Jeremy Wilson, Waubin
Aken, Phillip Goodman, Ian Lancaster, Joe Ross (Chair IWPG), Tom
Crothers, Richard Jenkins, Murray Radcliff, Andrew Dixon,
Middle Row: Joanne Stewart, Lorrae McArthur, Sonia Leonard, Tonya
Murray, John Christopherson, Richard Ah Mat, David Hinchley,
Claudia Luetjens.
Front Row: Mona Liddy, Bill Harney, Velamina White, Michael Foster,
Annette Kogolo, Elaine Gardiner (National Water Commission).
The Indigenous Water Policy Group (IWPG) was
initiated in 2006 to continue the dialogue of the Lingiari
Water Rights
Discussion Booklets (revised 2002 - Onshore and Offshore),
which identified that Indigenous rights, responsibilities and
interests in water need to be recognised in any water resource
management and allocation plans. Further to this, a scoping study
on Indigenous
interests in tropical river management identified an extremely
low awareness of the National Water Initiative (NWI) amongst
Indigenous peoples in northern Australia.
IWPG aims
The aims of the IWPG are:
- to increase the awareness of Indigenous people living in
northern Australia about the government’s current policies
for water reform, and
- to engage in research relating to Indigenous rights,
responsibilities and interests in water resources in northern
Australia so that these aspects are articulated during the water
reform process.
The IWPG is funded by the
National Water Commission until 2010 under its Raising National
Water Standards Programme.
IWPG principles
These principles were
adopted by the IWPG on the 22nd October 2009 and come from the
North Australian
Indigenous Experts Water Futures Forum (August
2009).
- Land, water
and people are inextricably connected, which means unity of land,
water and Indigenous people. “Water and land cannot be
separated. We look and care for country together not
separate...”
- Water
management and use includes all of cultural uses, environmental
flows, consumptive and commercial uses; and all freshwater systems
are included whether on the mainland or on sea country.
- Adherence to
maintaining a balanced revised ‘Triple Bottom Line’
(social and cultural, ecological and economic) including a fourth
element of political sustainability.
- Water
dealings based on free, prior, and informed decisions and
engagement with Indigenous community at all levels. This means
representative bodies and Indigenous communities on the ground be
fully informed and participate in process (Traditional Owners on
country).
- Principles
of International Law (e.g. UNDRIP, Ramsar) be the guiding
principles for development of Indigenous engagement on
water.
- Water
allocation needs to be linked with best practice, sustainable,
efficient use and accurate up to date information about
environmental flows.
- Indigenous
people across north Australia are united in dealing with water
issues and accordingly recognise that:
- Indigenous
peoples have cultural and kinship responsibilities and obligations
under customary law to look after water;
- Traditional
Owners have a right to be involved in the management and decision
making over water use;
- Indigenous
peoples have responsibilities and obligations in accordance with
Indigenous laws and customs. We have responsibility for maintaining
the rivers and the environment and ecosystem in their natural state
so as to ensure their sustainability of this whole
environment;
- Indigenous
people need to be the primary interface in the planning and
development of water usage proposed and regulated; and
- our water is part of our native title through our cultural and
ceremonial practices that are part of the birds, animals, plants
and us. We don’t want younger generations to live with the
same hardship we older ones did.
The IWPG contributes significantly
to:
