The North Australian Indigenous Land & Sea Management Alliance delegates that attended the 2020 Summit back the outcomes of the water and climate change discussions.
The stream called for Indigenous people to be part of the dialogue in developing climate change strategies for Indigenous Australians. The Summit also called for a national Indigenous Knowledge, or research centre be established to carry out multi-disciplinary research to answer complex questions for Indigenous people.
And while there were calls made again to examine the opportunities around water in the north, Indigenous Water Policy Group Chairman Mr Joe Ross stated that “the magnitude of the issues affecting Indigenous people and their environments and the pressures to develop the north will require new research and partnerships with Indigenous people to answer complex questions”.
It is particularly important to ensure that the complexity of issues affecting Indigenous communities attract world-class research “but any new research must be driven by Indigenous people, which is why a new engagement framework is justified” said Mr Ross.
Joe Morrison, NAILSMA Executive Officer said “this is a step in the right direction, given the increased attention being paid to the water resources on Indigenous lands in the north, and the vulnerability of Indigenous communities to any changes in climate, this is timely”.
Furthermore, “the need for Indigenous people to engage and then formulate strategies to develop the north must be seen as the primary objective, rather than an after thought”.
The IWPG is an initiative that was founded and is supported by the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA).
Mr Morrison says, “Indigenous people’s contributions to tackling climate change present the perfect opportunity for the Australian government to meet social, cultural, environmental and economic development in rural and remote northern Australia”.
The NAILSMA discussion paper that was presented at the 2020 Summit can be downloaded from the NAILSMA website: www.nailsma.org.au.