What we do

The way forward

The Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations have been working towards a number of important aspirations of traditional owners:

Representation on relevant bodies

MLDRIN has representation on the Murray Darling Basin Commission’s Community Advisory Council and The Living Murray’s Community Reference Group.

We will be working for our continued presence and participation on these groups and other appropriate representative bodies that deal with cultural heritage and natural resource management.

Agreement Making

MLDRIN is currently negotiating a Cooperative Agreement with a number of Environmental Non-Government Organisations including Friends of the Earth, Australian Conservation Foundation, NSW and Victorian National Parks Associations and the Wilderness Society.

This Agreement will provide for the collaboration of traditional owners and environmental groups in joint environmental campaigns and for the exchange of information and networks.

It is hoped the Agreement will be signed by the end of 2006.

MLDRIN is also in the process of establishing Agreements with other bodies including scientific organisations.

Indigenous Water Allocations

MLDRIN has as its core objective in the coming years the establishment and implementation of Indigenous Water Allocations.  This water would be used for a cultural purpose; this means a water allocation would be used for whatever purpose the recipient Indigenous Nation deems culturally appropriate.

Through a negotiation process with each other and with the relevant jurisdiction, the traditional owners would decide where and when water would be released. The water could be used for cultural economic purposes such as to water a native food source or medicinal plant source, enable breeding of Native animals through appropriate flooding of wetlands or other floodplain ecological system or send water to an important spiritual or cultural site.

An Indigenous Water Allocation will support the continuation of our cultural practices and could have significant environmental outcomes.