Partner Outreach Series

Indigenous Water Management Roundtable

On 20 August 2021, AWP hosted a virtual roundtable on Indigenous Water Management, part of our ongoing Partner Outreach Series. Speakers Phil Duncan (Alluvium), Associate Professor Bradley Moggridge (University of Canberra) and Dr Virginia Marshall (ANU) presented to a group of 30 AWP Partners, who then moved into breakout groups for deeper discussion. View slides – PDF 5MB

MIchael Wilson, AWP CEO, opened the session saying: “As our work is focussed on enhancing sustainability and changing the way water is valued, we think there could be mutual benefit in taking some time to learn from each other and think about how to bring even more benefits into Australian aid-funded activities.”

AWP hopes this is the beginning of a long term partnership, and we are looking forward to collaborating further with our Indigenous friends and colleagues at next year’s Partners Workshop.

We were fortunate to have the presence of visual scribe Gavin Blake at the session, who created the following images from the rich discussion.

Partner-Outreach-Series-Indigenous-Water-Management-1
Partner-Outreach-Series-Indigenous-Water-Management-1
Partner-Outreach-Series-Indigenous-Water-Management-1
Phil Duncan photo

Phil Duncan – Traditional Owner Kamilaroi Nation; Policy & Strategy, Alluvium

  phil.duncan@alluvium.com.au

Phil is from Moree New South Wales and is a member of the Gomeroi Nation and a Member of the Gomeroi Nation Native Title Claimant Group. His homelands are Moree and Terry Hie Hie. Phil has 40 years’ experience working with Aboriginal people and government to improve the lives of Aboriginal people through recognition of rich cultural history, the return of lands and the improvement of living conditions and education of the next generation through both his employment and active volunteer community work. His strategic advice, leadership and engagement focuses on issues of culture and heritage significance; community engagement in on-ground projects; as well as the design, delivery and implementation of programs in partnership with government. Phil has made contributions in a variety of domains – from education and organisational reconciliation action, through to areas of focus such as natural resource management, freshwater river management, forestry, native fish, water rights and allocations. Phil is active in managing and maintaining connections and representing and understanding different viewpoints which can be applied to creating trusting and collaborative relationships.

A/Prof Bradley J. Moggridge – Indigenous Water Science, Centre for Applied Water Science, University of Canberra

@bradmoggo

Bradley is a proud Kamilaroi man (North-West NSW) now living in Canberra. His current research role is in Indigenous Water Science and he is a PhD Candidate at the University of Canberra alongside holding a role as part-time Indigenous Liaison Officer for the Threatened Species Recovery Hub. He has 25 years’ worth of engagement in water and environmental sciences. He sits on several committees and panels and has received a number of awards for his service. His qualifications include an MSc in Hydrogeology and BSc in Environmental Science.

  • Moggridge, B.J. (2021). Indigenous water knowledge and values in an Australasian context. Australasian Journal of Water Resources, 25:1, 1-3, DOI: 10.1080/13241583.2021.1935919
  • Jackson, S., & Moggridge, B.J. (2019). Indigenous water management.Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 26:3, 193-196, DOI: 10.1080/14486563.2019.1661645
Bradley Moggridge
Virginia Marshall

Dr Virginia Marshall – Wiradjiri Nyemba; Inaugural Indigenous Postdoctoral Fellow, Australian National University

  virginia.marshall@anu.edu.au

Virginia is the Inaugural Indigenous Postdoctoral Fellow at the Australian National University, with both the School of Regulation & Global Governance and the Fenner School of Environment and Science. Virginia is a leading legal scholar on Indigenous Australian water rights. She has been recognised by the University of Victoria, British Columbia in Canada as a Distinguished Woman Scholar and was the national winner of the AIATSIS WEH Stanner Prize for best Indigenous thesis. Virginia is author of the award-winning seminal book Overturning Aqua Nullius (2017). She is Principal Solicitor in her law firm practising in native title, Traditional Knowledge protection, water and human rights. She is a member of the Australian National University’s ‘Climate Change Institute’, the Human Research Ethics Committee, and is Co-Chair of the National Committee on Aboriginal Water Interests to reform the National Water Initiative. She also serves as a Water Expert for the World Economic Forum.

  • Overturning Aqua nullius: Securing Aboriginal Water Rights by Virginia Marshall [Booktopia]
  • Dr Virginia Marshall speaking at the launch of her book [YouTube]
  • Marshall, V.A. (2014). A web of Aboriginal water rights: examining the competing Aboriginal claim for water property rights and interests in Australia. Sydney, Australia: Macquarie University. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/324110
  • Virginia Marshall has a yarn with Yawuru man Peter Yu, who reflects on his 40 years in Indigenous development and advocacy [Podcast: Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny]
Send us your feedback