Assessing water sharing plan Aboriginal performance indicators
| Objective: | To collate Aboriginal information to inform the development and review of water sharing plans in NSW. |
| Funding: | $230,000 plus applicable GST allied with $268,906 of in-kind contribution from the NSW Office of Water. |
| Jurisdiction: | New South Wales |
| Commencing: | January 2011 |
| Completion: | December 2012 |
About the project
The primary aim of the project is to collate Aboriginal information in a central database to inform the development of water sharing plans, and their review, in NSW. Baseline metrics will be developed to evaluate the effectiveness of water sharing plans in providing for Aboriginal cultural and commercial water.
The project will:
- provide an overall state-wide (statistical and spatial) picture of Aboriginal environmental issues within water sharing plan areas using standard Aboriginal organisational and environmental profiles
- identify the existing water licences held by Aboriginal land owners and other Aboriginal entities
- establish the existence of Aboriginal landowners adjacent to water courses who may wish to secure cultural or commercial water entitlement
- identify other environmental and cultural landscapes of importance to Aboriginal people that could provide opportunities for accessing cultural flows
The project will be undertaken in conjunction with the Commission funded Aboriginal community engagement and consultation in water sharing planning in NSW project. It is closely related to another Commission-funded project, Aboriginal community engagement and consultation in water sharing planning in NSW.
Project benefits
The project will establish the initial baseline indicators to determine whether NSW is progressively meeting its obligations under the Water Management Act 2000 (WMA 2000) and the National Water Initiative (NWI).