Aboriginal water policy is in its infancy in Victoria. Victorian Traditional Owners have not been able to participate in water management at a level that appropriately reflects their rights and interests. In south west Victoria, Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (TOAC), Barengi Gadjin Land Council (BGLC) and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority (GHCMA) are partnering on the ‘Towards Cultural Flows - Glenelg River Aboriginal Water Values scoping project’. This project investigates Traditional Owner values and uses for the Glenelg River system, and the effective participation of Traditional Owners in regional water management.
Through cultural mapping and semi-structured interviews, community consultations have revealed 19 broad Traditional Owner values for the Glenelg River. The most commonly discussed values include river health, community access and cultural continuity, plant and animal use, and cultural heritage. River health for example was considered in terms of flow, impacts on river health, understandings of what a healthy river looks like, and understandings of current management decisions. Implicit in the value of river health is the interconnectivity between healthy ecosystems and healthy people: “The spiritual connection is about bringing it [the river] back to life. It’s all connected, if something is thriving, that is healthy country and that makes healthy people (TL-M, Gunditjmara Traditional Owner)”.
Continued discussions with community, on country, through improved access to the river will further the understanding of Aboriginal water values and interests for the Glenelg River. Other expected outcomes from this project include improved knowledge of Traditional Owners about river health and management; the development and furthering of relationships between Traditional Owners and other land managers and Agencies; and improved capacity to incorporate Traditional Owner rights and interests into both CMA and Victorian Government water resource management practices and policy frameworks.
[1] DSE (2011) Western Region Sustainable Water Strategy.