Aboriginal community engagement and consultation in water sharing planning in NSW
| Objective: | To improve Aboriginal involvement and representation in water management and planning processes in NSW |
| Funding: | $307,834 plus applicable GST plus $130,000 of in-kind contribution from the NSW Office of Water. |
| Jurisdiction: | NSW |
| Commencing: | April 2011 |
| Completion: | March 2012 |
About the project
The Water Management Act 2000 and the NSW Implementation Plan for the National Water Initiative require Aboriginal representation in water planning, the inclusion of social, spiritual and customary objectives in water planning and strategies to achieve the objectives.
The purpose of the project is to provide additional resources to the NSW Office of Water to:
- educate Aboriginal communities on water licensing and encourage their active involvement in water planning activities
- identify cultural values for all water sharing plans
- capture baseline information to inform Aboriginal performance indicators in water sharing plans.
The project will primarily focus on priority inland areas and extend into coastal water planning areas, if resources permit.
The project is closely related to another Commission-funded project: NSW Office of Water project Assessing water sharing plan Aboriginal indicators.
Project benefits
The project will improve Aboriginal involvement and representation in water management and planning processes in NSW.
Expected outcomes of the project.
For the NSW Office of Water:
- to enhance Aboriginal engagement in water planning
- to capture baseline information on Aboriginal performance indicators to inform the evaluation of water sharing plans
- to identify water dependent cultural assets to include in water sharing plans
- to establish networks between staff and Aboriginal communities to communicate water issues
- to improve the coordination of water management activities/information relevant to Aboriginal communities.
For Aboriginal communities:
- to provide improved confidence in water reform processes and the ability of the NSW Office of Water to deliver the reforms
- to provide the knowledge, skills and ability to participate in the water sharing planning process
- to provide an informed understanding of the opportunities and benefits in the water sharing process
- to increase skills and expertise in the sustainable use of water for their cultural and economic benefit
- to gather information on assets to better inform water sharing plans
- to provide an enhanced capacity to make successful submissions to NOW and have aboriginal issues and values incorporated into water sharing plans
- to have an increase in the number of Aboriginal people successfully securing licences and other available water allocations.