Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy WATER CONNECTIONS ABORIGINAL PEOPLE’S WATER NEEDS IN THE QUEENSLAND MURRAY–DARLING BASIN A guide to the water plans in the Condamine and Balonne, Border Rivers and Moonie catchments April 2019 Artist Bio Edward Colliss (known as Whistle) is a Kooma Mardigan man from Cunnamulla. Edward’s art is a reflection of his life growing up in the Murray Darling Basin, where he would walk and camp along the river banks and waterways as a child. Front cover image: ‘Mundagutta’ –Edward Colliss Mundagutta, sometimes referred to as the rainbow serpent created the waterways and the landscape during the time of the dreaming. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned photographs in this report may contain images of deceased persons which may cause sadness or distress. CS8711 01/19 This publication has been compiled by Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy. A version of this report was submitted to the Murray Darling Basin Authority in February 2019. Minor updates were included and provided to Murray Darling Basin Authority in April 2019 to reflect stakeholder feedback and changes required for accreditation process under the Water Act 2007 (C’wealth). © State of Queensland, 2019 The Queensland Government supports and encourages the dissemination and exchange of its information. The copyright in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Under this licence you are free, without having to seek our permission, to use this publication in accordance with the licence terms. You must keep intact the copyright notice and attribute the State of Queensland as the source of the publication. Note: Some content in this publication may have different licence terms as indicated. For more information on this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The Queensland Government shall not be liable for technical or other errors or omissions contained herein. The reader/user accepts all risks and responsibility for losses, damages, costs and other consequences resulting directly or indirectly from using this information. 2 Water connections Acknowledgements The Queensland Government acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Owners and their nations in the Queensland Murray–Darling Basin catchments. We also value and respect the contributions of earlier generations, including the Elders, who passed on their knowledge of natural resource management. We acknowledge that the Traditional Owners of these catchments have a deep cultural connection to their lands and waters, and that the knowledge and cultural values of Traditional Owners need to be recognised in water planning. The Queensland Government would also like to gratefully acknowledge the contributions, knowledge and guidance provided by many people from the Aboriginal nations in the northern Murray–Darling Basin catchments. We are committed to continuing to engage with Aboriginal people into the future and to ensure the water resources in the Queensland Murray–Darling Basin are managed sustainably into the future. We consider this the start of a longer journey. 3 Contents Guide to the water planning engagement process 8 Aboriginal people’s connection to water 12 What has happened so far? 22 Engagement with Aboriginal people 26 3.1 Learnings from past engagement 26 3.2 Guidelines 27 3.3 Working group 27 3.4 Planning meetings 28 3.5 Preliminary meetings with NBAN delegates and Elders 28 3.6 How we reached out 30 3.7 Who we engaged with 32 3.8 How we engaged 34 3.9 Lessons learned from our engagement 38 Information discussed with Aboriginal people 44 4.1 Aboriginal values and uses of water 46 4.2 Linking Aboriginal values and uses with ecological values and uses 57 4.3 Risks to Aboriginal values and uses of water 59 4.4 Objectives of Aboriginal people for water management 60 4.5 Outcomes desired by Aboriginal people for water management 61 4.6 The link between values and uses, risks, objectives and outcomes 62 How the plans were developed 66 5.1 Developing the draft plans 67 5.2 Draft plan outcomes 71 5.3 Public submissions on the draft plans 72 4 Water connections Final Condamine and Balonne and Border Rivers and Moonie water plans 80 6.1 Final plan outcomes 81 6.2 Healthy waters management plan objectives and outcomes 92 Appendix A – Glossary 102 Appendix B – Meeting data and examples of communication material 106 Appendix C – Summary of submissions 111 Appendix D – Final water plan outcomes 114 Appendix E – Mapping of Aboriginal objectives and outcomes with plan outcomes 118 Appendix F – Opportunities to strengthen the protection of Aboriginal values and uses 119 Appendix G – Queensland Water Resource Plan Index Part 14, Chapter 10 requirements 126 References 141 5 Contents Figure 1 – Guide to Aboriginal people’s water needs in the Queensland Murray– Darling Basin 8 Figure 2 – Queensland water resource plans under the Murray–Darling Basin Plan as at February 2019 17 Figure 3 – Map of Aboriginal nations in the Condamine–Balonne and Border Rivers and Moonie catchments 19 Figure 4 – Planning and engaging with Aboriginal people 29 Figure 5 – Conceptual representation of Queensland’s engagement process with Aboriginal people 34 Figure 6 – Aboriginal nations input into water planning process 45 Figure 7 – Aboriginal values and uses of water 46 Figure 8 – Yellowbelly as an example of a species holding a range of values and uses 52 Figure 9 – Link between the yellowbelly’s value and use and Aboriginal people’s risks, objectives and outcomes for water management 62 Figure 10 – Process for considering input from Aboriginal people into the water planning process 66 Figure 11 – Main topics of submissions from Aboriginal people in Border Rivers and Moonie 73 Figure 12 – Main topics of submissions from Aboriginal people in Border Rivers and Moonie 73 Figure 13 – How a water plan works 82 Figure 14 – Outcome 1 84 Figure 15 – Outcome 2 86 Figure 16 – Outcome 3 (using yellowbelly as an example) 90 6 Water connections Table 1 – Links between Aboriginal values and uses and ecological assets and functions 58 Table 2 – Risks to values and uses 59 Table 3 – Objectives of Aboriginal people for water management 60 Table 4 – Outcomes desired by Aboriginal people for water management 61 Table 5 – Aboriginal objectives and outcomes and how they can be dealt with in water plans and healthy waters management plans 68 Table 6 – Draft plan outcomes and measures 72 Table 7 – Final plan outcomes and measures 81 Table 8 – Unallocated groundwater reserves in the Condamine–Balonne water plan area 87 Table 9 – Unallocated surface water reserves in the Border Rivers and Moonie water plan area 87 Table 10 – Unallocated groundwater water reserves in the Border Rivers and Moonie water plan area 88 Table 11 – Issues outside the scope of water plans and healthy waters management plans 97 7 Guide to the water planning engagement process Condamine and Balonne and Border Rivers and Moonie Water Plans 2016 2017 2018 Chapter 3 Engagement 38 Aboriginal nation workshops 250+ social media shares 500+ people consulted face-to-face 20+ places visited 30 on-country visits 10,000+ kilometres travelled 2000+ phone calls and emails 159 submissions on the draft plans Aboriginal people’s Getting started Draft water plans information on their and healthy waters Understanding Aboriginal values, uses, objectives, management plans for people’s connection to water outcomes and risks consultation and initial engagement associated with water Chapters 1 & 2 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Figure 1 – Guide to Aboriginal people’s water needs in the Queensland Murray–Darling Basin Guide to the water planning engagement process Condamine and Balonne and Border Rivers and Moonie Water Plans 2019 Ongoing Final water plans Outcome 1: Promote improved understanding of environmental, economic, social, spiritual Other opportunities and cultural uses of water for involvement not by Aboriginal people related to water Outcome 2: Make water planning available to support the economic and social aspirations of Aboriginal people Outcome 3: Maintain flows of water that support the water-related What's next? environmental, cultural, Establish a process for spiritual and social values releasing unallocated of Aboriginal people water, improving understanding of requirements for cultural water and ongoing engagement Draft water plans and healthy waters management plans for Final healthy waters consultation management plans Environmental Values, Water Quality Objectives, Management responses Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 1 overview – Aboriginal people’s connection to water This chapter describes how Aboriginal people have a strong connection to waterways, and how the Queensland Government has worked over the last five years to learn more about the cultural, spiritual, social, environmental and economic importance of water for Aboriginal people, and applied this to its water planning process. • To Aboriginal people, water is part of one connected system that includes the land, people and all living things, and has spiritual, cultural, social, economic and environmental value. • Aboriginal people have knowledge and perspectives that are needed to ensure sustainable water management is achieved, yet have not been included to the same extent in past processes. • The government has reviewed plans to better manage the rivers and groundwater in the Condamine–Balonne, Border Rivers and Moonie catchments in Queensland, including through consultation with Aboriginal people on their cultural values and uses of water. • The government is now committed to engaging over the life of the plans to ensure the views and voices of Aboriginal people continue to be heard and we improve our common understanding of cultural requirements for water. 11 1 Aboriginal people’s connection to water The Condamine–Balonne, Moonie and Border Rivers catchments are the traditional lands and waters of Aboriginal people from 14 Aboriginal nations (see Figure 3).