ABSTRACT
From the dry creek beds and rock holes in the Goldfields region in Western Australia to the lakes and flowing waters of East Gippsland and the drought-stricken rivers of the Wimmera region in Victoria, my time as a native title lawyer exposed me to the many and varied ways that Indigenous Australians value water in all its forms. In almost every meeting, every field trip, every witness statement and every negotiation I was involved in, water featured in one way or another – culturally, spiritually, physically, socially, economically. It was abundantly clear that water is the lifeblood of Indigenous communities. But it was also clear that the importance for Indigenous Australians of having a meaningful say in how it should be managed was not well understood by either government or the wider community.
