Indigenous Nations unite in call for stronger national water laws

Joint statement calls on Albanese Government to ensure Indigenous Nations’ authority, knowledge and governance are central to reform of the Federal Water Act 

Indigenous Nations-led and governed water organisations have joined together to call on the Australian Government to deliver a stronger national vision for water reform through the review of the Water Act 2007. 

Together, the organisations represent more than 100 Nations, Peoples and language groups connected to four of Australia’s great free-flowing river regions - the Martuwarra Fitzroy River in Western Australia, the Roper River in the Northern Territory, the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Basin and the Murray–Darling system. 

“No matter where we come from, we can all agree that water is life. Martuwarra is one of the few remaining large, healthy, free-flowing rivers in the country and holds an ancient legacy of the effectiveness of Indigenous-led governance and water management. The renewed Water Act must support self-determination in water governance and decision-making and recognise and engage with Traditional Owner-led governance bodies.” - Professor Anne Poelina, Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council. 

“A renewed Water Act must recognise and respect Indigenous Peoples’ enduring rights, responsibilities and relationships with water. It must engage with Traditional Owner-led governance bodies and create real pathways for Indigenous knowledge, law and culture to inform national water policy and management,” said Josh Gorringe, Lake Eyre Basin Traditional Owner Alliance. 

“For Indigenous Nations, water reform is not only about policy settings — it is about authority, accountability and the future of living waters. A renewed Water Act must ensure decisions are made with the Nations who hold cultural responsibility for water places, so national reform protects Country and supports strong governance for generations to come,” said Melissa Andrews-Wurramarrba, Ropa Woda Governance Council. 

“Healthy rivers are living cultural entities and places of responsibility, identity and connection, not only environmental assets. We are urging the Australian Government to embrace an inclusive national framework that protects free-flowing rivers and builds a fairer future for water management in Australia,” said Aunty Alice Williams, Acting Chair, Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations. 

The joint statement calls on the Australian Government to ensure a renewed Water Act: 

• recognises and respects the rights, responsibilities and enduring relationships Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have with water and water places;

• supports Indigenous Nations’ self-determination in water governance and decision-making; 

• recognises and engages with Traditional Owner-led governance bodies; 

• protects water places of outstanding cultural and environmental significance; 

• creates pathways for Indigenous Nations’ knowledge, law, culture and governance systems to shape national water policy and management; and 

• reflects Australia’s commitment to justice, reconciliation and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.