2026-10-06T05:22:23Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/30882041 2026-09-29T23:46:09Z category_28003 portal_21 item_type_18 month_year_09_2026

Indigenous water governance within the National Environmental Science Program: the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Water Embassy. Renee Mackie (23022010) kate harriden (20540813) Paul Satur (21513833) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community governance and decision making Indigenous governance water research National Environmental Science Program <p dir="ltr">Through the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s (DCCEEW) National Environmental Science Program (NESP), Monash Sustainable Development Institute’s (MSDI) water team (MSDI-water) conducts Indigenous water related research projects under the NESP Program IP1.02 Water Sensitive and Liveable Communities (including both Regional and Remote Communities and Aqua nullius project streams). Considering the significance of water to First Nations peoples, as a living entity part of Country, we assert that any organisation working with, about, or for water should have First Nations peoples oversight and authority as a default governance arrangement. That is, organizations should respect First Nations peoples’ position of “nothing about us, without us”.</p><p dir="ltr">Our vision is to normalize First Nations water governance and self-determination in leading contemporary water science research, reflecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP). To meet this aim, we seek to transform water research, policy making and management through First Nations governance, starting with ensuring the NESP and MSDI-water’s research is directed by First Nations peoples.</p><p dir="ltr">This report presents critical learnings and recommendations for the establishment phase of an Indigenous-led governance framework that supports the vision described for NESP IP1.02 research projects led by MSDI. Importantly, this framework both aligns with and seeks to extend upon the recently established NESP Three Category Approach, developed out of Phase One of the NESP program. In seeking to establish First Nations oversight and authority as a default governance arrangement, this initiative revealed important considerations and insights for how the Three Category approach could be extended and continue to challenge the research community and their institutions to enable meaningful First Nations leadership and participation in future research.</p> 2026-09-29T23:46:09Z Text Report 10.26180/30882041.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/report/Indigenous_water_governance_within_the_National_Environmental_Science_Program_the_National_Aboriginal_and_Torres_Strait_Islander_Water_Embassy_/30882041 CC BY-NC 4.0