Genuine involvement of First Nations views and knowledge is often spoken about in water policy. 

As Australians head to the polls for the referendum on a Indigenous Voice to Parliament we get background on the development of this issues and question if a Voice would have an impact on water policy. 

Background provided by Barkindji Woman and lawyer Gemma McKinnon who was a TechnicalAdvisor at the Referendum Council regional dialogues and constitutional
convention at Uluru.

Hosted by Megan Williams and Krystle Evans

Watch Watch is produced by Broken Hill Community radio 2DRY. 

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As Australians head to the polls, on water watch we ask how might a voice influence water policy? Thats Episode 47. 

This bonus edition is the full, unedited presentation about the voice to parliament delivered at the Broken Hill City Gallery by:

Gemma McKinnon is a Barkindji woman and lawyer. Gemma was a Technical Advisor at the Referendum Council regional dialogues and constitutional convention at Uluru. 

and 

Peta MacGillivray is a Kalkutungu and South Sea Islander lawyer and researcher, and the Yuwaya Ngarra-li Senior Research Fellow focused on legal and justice issues based at UNSW. Peta has worked as a researcher on a range of criminology, legal services and community-development projects in NSW and across Australia. Peta’s area of legal practice specialisation is the legal needs of children and young people, particularly those experiencing social and economic
disadvantage.

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We have another huge episode on the nitty gritty of water policy and Basin politics with NSW Water Minister, the Hon. Rose Jackson, who is making the big decisions for the State's water management.

This week we also had the release of the full report into the Menindee Mass Fish Kills by the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, and it makes for some extremely sobering reading about the long-term decline of the Darling-Baaka and its wetlands.

This week we put the tough questions to Minister Jackson about all things water policy in NSW.

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Shifting between the big issues on Watch Watch, this week we move away from fish kills to speak buy back with NSW member for Barwon Roy Butler after his notice of motion to NSW parliament copped criticism from Menindee community online.  

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As news on the NSW Chief Scientist independent report into the 2023 Menindee Mass Fish Kills settles, we take a moment to remember the immediate reactions following the event in March. 

This week we hear from 
Barb Quayle of the Barkindji Elders Council
Ross Files Menindee Resident for over 80 years
Geoff Looney Local bird photographer
Leroy Johnson Barkindji Malayangapa Musician

Featuring music by Aimee Volkovsky

Water Watch is produced on Wilyakali Country at 2DRY FM in Broken Hill

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This week we are continuing our coverage of the NSW Chief Scientists' summary findings and recommendations from the review of the 2023 Menindee Mass fish Kills.

This week we are digging into finding number 5 with Greens MP in the NSW legislative council, Cate Faerhmann, who is well versed in NSW water politics, led the parliamentary inquiry into flood plain harvesting and was out on the ground back in March during the mass fish kills.

Finding number 5 from the Chief Scientist's report which reads “Explicit environmental protections in existing water management legislation are neither enforced nor reflected in current policy and operations… This failure in policy implementation is the root cause of the decline in the river ecosystem and the consequent fish deaths.”

Which begs the question: is NSW water policy failing to uphold the law?

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After many months of waiting, the NSW Chief Scientist's office have released the summary findings and recommendations from the independent review of the 2023 Menindee Fish Kills.

While we await the full report there is much to discuss about the summary findings and recommendations of this independent review, what it means for our rivers, the community of Menindee and for water policy and governance. 

This week Water Watch travelled to Menindee to speak to members of the Darling River Action Group about their reactions to the findings and met with the chief scientist team who were continuing their listening sessions with community of Menindee as they finalise the body of the report.

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An historic announcement on the future of the Murray Darling Basin Plan has come from the Federal Minister for Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek and we speak to Kate McBride on the condition of the Darling Baaka as blue green algae red alerts run from Menindee to the Murray.  

Water Watch is produced by Broken Hill Community radio 2DRY. 

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This week we are travelling to the Northern Territory to a little community 400km north of Alice springs called Ali Curung. For a number of years this little community has been locked in a battle with the NT government over one of the largest groundwater licenses issued in Australia, the Singleton Station license, which is a license to extract 40,000mgL of groundwater annually to produce fruits and vegetables. 

Ali Curung Traditional Owners and environmental groups have taken the government to court over license which they believe was granted unlawfully. The NT government has rolled out the red carpet for big developments right across the Territory, aiming to double its economy in the next 7 years, and the Singleton Station license is only one of those developments which aims to transform the Territory's water resources into wealth.

Running Water Community Press, a First Nations-led independent publisher in Mparntwe Alice Springs has recently launched the Water Justice Project, a community storytelling initiative which says no to the Singleton Station Water License. In this episode we speak to Maureen Nampijinpa O’Keefe, a Kaytetye Walpiri woman from Ali Curung, who is part of the Water Justice Project, and Alex Vaughan from the Arid Lands Environment Centre.

To connect with the Water Justice Project visit Home page - Running Water Community Press

And to watch the video content produce by the project and directed by Maureen Nampijinpa O’Keefe: https://youtu.be/uwY1KYugPac

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This week we continue the discussion about the Basin Plan and environmental water recovery as many people and groups wait with bated breath about how State and Federal governments are going to negotiate the delivery of the Basin Plan "in full".

Independent member for Murray Helen Dalton in the NSW Legislative assembly, has recently tabled an amendment to the NSW water management act which would restrict the transfer of water access licenses to the Commonwealth or the State unless the purchase passes a socio-economic test.

First up in this episode we speak to Bev Smiles from Inland Rivers Network about Dalton’s bill, as well as the state of the Basin Plan which Bev believes is a ‘dog's breakfast.’

Later in the show we hear from Sophie Baldwin, the CEO of the Southern Riverina Irrigators who supports Helen Dalton’s bill and fears for the future of her irrigation community if further buybacks are implemented in the Southern Basin.

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