Working together

What is Water for Country?

Water for Country is the planned use of water for the environment with Aboriginal peoples, to achieve shared benefits for the environment and cultural places, values and interests.

Water for Country can be planned for in annual and long-term water planning processes.

The diagram below demonstrates the overlap of shared benefits achieved by Water for Country.

How you can be involved

We are working with Aboriginal peoples on a Nation-led approach to provide input into annual and long-term environmental water plans.

A Nation-led approach will provide opportunities to:

• identify where and how to deliver water for the environment to support tangible and intangible benefits
• develop Aboriginal environmental water outcomes to guide annual planning and priorities
• review long-term water plans, focusing on a joint vision for healthy Country, and other community aspirations.

Have your say

With this approach you can:

• be involved in decision-making for Country, rivers, wetlands, and floodplains
• achieve outcomes for your Nation’s vision for healing Country
• contribute to living culture through the maintenance, preservation, and enhancement of Country
• connect with neighbouring Nations to achieve shared outcomes
• facilitate two-way communication and knowledge transfer between cultural knowledge holders and environmental water managers
• work with Aboriginal organisations to undertake work that will assist us all.

We will cover expenses for participation, expertise and travel.

Long-term water plans

The NSW water for the environment program is now working with Aboriginal people and communities across the New South Wales on the update of the plans. If you’re interested in being a part of this work, please email the Water for the environment First Nations program mailbox at [email protected]. 

In 2023, the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations led a consortium of experts to review the 2019–20 NSW long-term water plans. The consortium provided advice and recommendations to the NSW Government on how to ensure meaningful Aboriginal-led input in the update of the plans.

The review sought Aboriginal views through a range of one-on-one interviews and group workshops across the NSW portion of the Murray–Darling Basin. These views, perspectives and experiences underpin the recommendations for improving the inclusion and empowerment of Aboriginal people in the next update of the long-term water plans.

Download the MLDRIN First Nations review of NSW long-term water plans – final report (PDF 3.1MB)

We welcomed the report's recommendations. Many are directly relevant to the work we are doing now and some speak to the broader challenges Aboriginal people face in engaging with government processes and the water industry.

Our team is working towards following through on the majority of the recommendations and has relied on them to guide our next steps. This includes further developing our engagement strategy to make sure we engage with as many Aboriginal groups as we can in the most equitable way across the NSW portion of the Murray–Darling Basin.