Caring for Country
We’re privileged to serve as custodians of the urban water cycle for our capital region where we help protect human health and the environment on Ngunnawal Country.
Our purpose – delivering essential water services every day, is closely aligned with our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), co-developed and co-endorsed by the Ngunnawal Community and Reconciliation Australia. Our reconciliation approach includes Caring for Country (people and place), amplifying diverse voices and supporting one another to achieve better outcomes.
Key Caring for Country actions, guided by walking together at the pace of trust and focusing efforts where they matter most, include:
Aboriginal Water Assessments
Aboriginal Water Assessments (AWAs) are facilitated with the Ngunnawal community by the Ngunnawal Water Policy Officer from the ACT Office of Water. These assessments have been carried out across various waterways in the ACT, with participation from public land managers and water cycle custodians, depending on the location. The timing and location of AWAs are guided by factors such as community interest, planning priorities, major projects, and the need to capture Indigenous knowledge.
Ngunnawal community participants use an iPad-based AWA form to record their observations, feelings, artwork, stories, scientific insights, and cultural knowledge of the area. This information is entrusted to the Ngunnawal Water Policy Officer for confidential safekeeping and is used to generate findings reports that inform land and water policy and management. Outcomes may also be shared with organisations like Icon Water to help guide water cycle activities as part of our shared reconciliation journey.
AWAs are essential for understanding Indigenous perspectives on waterway health and management, and form a vital part of Caring for Country. To learn more about the purpose and process of AWAs, watch the video below featuring Ngunnawal Water Policy Officer Bradley Djirabidj Bell.
Cool burns
Uncle Wally Bell from the Buru Ngunawal Aboriginal Corporation has led cool burns on our Williamsdale Biodiversity Offset Property, in partnership with the Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Network.
These burns brought together participants from various catchment management agencies and groups to learn from Indigenous science and expand their land management practices. The collaboration supports knowledge exchange and strengthens culturally informed approaches to Caring for Country.