We work closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through a range of policies, projects and programs. This includes engagement that supports reviews of Water Plans, Regional Water Assessments, and work underway with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander councils to deliver clean drinking water infrastructure.
Through the water planning process, we engage with Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples to understand their cultural water needs and social and economic aspirations.
Taking time to listen
In 2023 and 2024, we embarked on a pilot engagement program centred on on-Country listening to Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We listened to Elders and community leaders and heard stories about why water is important to them.
This journey was about listening to stories, views and aspirations about water. We took time to listen and learn about their connections to Country and what water means to mob.
We asked our contacts to introduce us to their Elders, Keepers of Knowledge, and community members.
We asked people to meet and yarn with us and invited them to choose where. Places we met ranged from formal meeting rooms, on a verandah, in a house, under a tree, or in a café - wherever people felt safe and comfortable to share their stories.
What we have heard
Every First Nations person has unique life experiences and stories to share. However, we have heard some common themes.
Some of the stories that people shared with us are culturally sensitive. We value the protection of intellectual cultural property rights. No stories or perspectives will be shared without permission to do so.
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There are many First Nations cultures in Queensland with defined social structures, obligations, Lore, gendered layers, kin and skin relationships, ceremony, spiritual beliefs and connectivity to each other and the environment. These attributes and many more that make up First Nations cultures have been refined over tens of thousands of years.
We heard about the importance of spirituality and culture to First Nations peoples and how understanding this will help government and other non-Indigenous people working with First Nations peoples to communicate in more respectful and sensitive ways.
Caring for and Healing Country was interwoven with the stories of spirituality, culture, kinship, family ties and community healing.
No matter where people lived, they had a deep sense of obligation to care for and be on Country.
Stories referred to the way Country and waterways have been degraded, and how this had deeply affected the health of Elders and First Nations peoples. They spoke of a common wish to see these areas healed, which in turn would heal peoples and communities.
A strong message was that caring for Country can play a positive role in providing education and sustaining culture and tradition.
We heard about the importance of the right to self-determination. This aligns with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous people (2007) and reinforces the significance of the principle of ‘free, prior and informed consent’.
Understanding the importance of self-determination to First Nations peoples helps to explain why some past initiatives and partnerships have been unsuccessful despite good intentions. To achieve long term solutions, governments and other partners must empower First Nations communities to lead and manage their own affairs.
Some people shared stories about how past and current water decisions continue to negatively impact community. We heard a strong desire to see healthy flowing rivers again.
By listening to the advice of the original stewards of Queensland’s lands and waters, we can all enjoy cleaner and healthier waterways.
Several Elders and community members spoke with passion about the need to protect, store and share culture and historical information. They want to build cultural awareness with governments and all Australians.
It is clear from our listening that building a better two-way understanding is critical to helping recognise culture and restore First Nations’ ancient and enduring stewardship responsibilities.
Family ties and kinship are important to everyone. For First Nations people these relationships can be very complex, with different obligations to family, community, and country, depending on gender and relationship.
Understanding the importance and complexity of kinship ties and obligations to family, community and country can help governments and all non-Indigenous people find better ways to communicate and partner with First Nations people to deliver better outcomes.
About the engagement
This engagement approach will guide how our department walks with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to achieve better water outcomes for everyone.
The insights we gathered and the relationships we built through this process will support our work on a range of policies, projects and programs in the future.
