Aboriginal community workshops on water sharing in New South Wales

Aboriginal communities in the central west of NSW are invited to attend a series of workshops on water sharing, to be undertaken next week at Dubbo and Nyngan.

The first series of workshops, held in the northern and western parts of the state, saw members of local Aboriginal communities come together with staff from the NSW Office of Water to find out more about water sharing processes and licensing.

The Office of Water's Lillian Moseley, said that issues specific to Native Title rights surrounding water and Aboriginal cultural and community water licenses had been hot topics.

"Many of the aboriginal people who came to the first series of workshops said they were not familiar with the opportunities for Aboriginal people under the water reforms, especially those affecting water sharing plans for their local area," said Ms Mosley.

Workshop participants have been able to ask questions on water management and consider how water dependent Aboriginal places of cultural value could be protected through water sharing plans.

"These workshops are all about helping Aboriginal communities understand the water sharing plan process and make informed decisions, as well as enabling them to have their say on how the plans will impact on their respective communities," she said.

Stage 1 community engagement workshops, held over two days, provide information on the water planning process, water licensing opportunities and the relevance of water sharing plans for Aboriginal people.

Stage 1 workshops will be held in Dubbo at the NSW Office of Water, 209 Cobra Street (opposite the Apex Oval) on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 June from 9.00am to 5.00pm. Nyngan workshops will be held at the Nyngan RSL & Civic Club, 106 Pangee Street on Thursday 9 and Friday 10 June from 9am to 5pm.

Follow-up workshops (Stage 2) will be held at the same locations in the coming weeks, where Aboriginal people are invited to come back and have further discussions on high priority water dependent assets, cultural flow requirements and sensitivities to water extraction.

Ms Mosley said that the first series of workshops had also provided Office of Water staff with an opportunity to visit some important cultural sites.

"These visits enabled us to explore what opportunities, both economically and culturally, were potentially possible under the new water sharing and licensing arrangements."

"We really do encourage Aboriginal people to get involved and come along to the workshops in their local area, so that future water sharing plans truly capture the importance of water to Aboriginal communities," Ms Mosley said.

The workshops are jointly funded by the National Water Commission and NSW Office of Water. To register to attend a workshop or for more information call 1800 353 104. Full details of all workshops can be found on the NSW Office of Water website.