Homelands: overcoming water challenges through governance and leadership
by Catherine Vero
Access to clean and reliable water is a fundamental human right, yet for many Homelands communities across Australia, securing safe drinking water remains a persistent challenge.
Despite the geographical and logistical difficulties, some communities have found ways to improve their water security through strong governance and leadership.
My experience as a Chris Davis AM Fellow in 2023 allowed me to explore these success stories firsthand, deepening my understanding of what makes a difference in water management for Homelands and demonstrating that it really is possible for even the most difficult to service sites to access safe and clean water.
Through site visits and discussions with community members, I identified key success factors that help overcome barriers to sustainable water supply.
Here, I explore the role of governance, leadership and local knowledge in driving positive change for Homelands water management.
Understanding Homelands and water issues
Homelands, also known as Outstations, are Aboriginal settlements situated on cultural or traditional lands. These communities vary in size and location, ranging from small clusters of one to ten houses to larger settlements, often located in regions hundreds of kilometres from major urban centres.
In the Northern Territory alone, between 6,000 and 8,000 Indigenous people reside in Homelands, with many more returning seasonally for cultural events. There are Homelands across Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. While some Homelands receive government support, others operate independently.
Maintaining a consistent and reliable potable water supply in Homelands is an ongoing struggle. The logistical difficulties of vast distances and limited resources further complicate efforts. However, people share a common goal: access to a reliable supply of potable water, just like most of us reading these words.
The water-related challenges are varied and often complex. Issues include everything from failing aquifers and infrastructure leading to lack of supply and serious microbiological risks, through to multiple exceedances in physical chemistry standards from contaminants such as arsenic, manganese or calcium as well as unpleasant tastes and appearance.
Identifying the key success factors
Defining a "good" water supply is not straightforward. To gain deeper insights, I visited communities that were looked up to by those in the industry or community members in managing their water resources.
While this was not an academic study, my findings were informed by these site visits and over 15 years of professional experience in remote water supply systems.
A reliable aquifer that’s well protected to avoid contamination and water that looks, smells and tastes great generally leads to community satisfaction.
However, my observations revealed that even communities lacking ideal water conditions could still achieve success and even those that did have ideal conditions sometimes couldn’t achieve a reliable and potable supply. The common denominators in these successful cases were two fundamental elements:
- Strong governance
- Dedicated people
These foundational elements provided the structure necessary to address water challenges, even in resource-constrained environments.
The role of governance and leadership
Good governance and engaged leadership enable several key advantages, including:
- A well-informed community
- Integration of local knowledge and participation in water management
- Access to funding and external support
- Capacity to find and support dedicated individuals
Similarly, dedicated individuals within a community drive progress by:
- Developing and maintaining governance frameworks
- Advocating for funding and resources
- Engaging with external technical experts
- Building local capacity and resilience
- Showing curiosity and being innovative
Case study: Scotdesco
One of the most compelling examples of success is Scotdesco, a self-managed Aboriginal community located approximately 100 kilometers west of Ceduna, South Australia.
Despite facing significant water quality and supply challenges, Scotdesco has developed a robust and resilient water system, primarily due to strong governance and leadership.
Key institutional factors contributing to Scotdesco’s success include:
- Appointment and retention of a capable CEO
- Transparent and regular communication with the community
- Effective management and accountability in handling funding
- A strong advocacy platform for self-representation
Although Scotdesco’s groundwater is both saline and limited, the community’s governance structures and leadership have facilitated incremental improvements, ensuring long-term water security.
Important learnings
The most important lesson from my research is that a single well-functioning component – whether it be strong governance or a committed leader – can serve as the foundation for improving outcomes.
This is significantly underpinned by a good water supply, but sometimes there is even a workaround for that. Infrastructure and technology is of course critical to addressing water challenges in Homelands but sustainable solutions require a holistic approach.
The Homelands that have made significant progress in water management have done so by leveraging strong governance frameworks, effective leadership, and active community participation.
By investing in building capacity areas, we can move beyond temporary fixes and work toward sustainable, community-driven solutions that ensure reliable water access and the health and livelihood benefits this brings.
Thank you to the residents and service providers who shared their time and thoughts with me on water supplies in Homelands. The passion and innovation you display is an example to us all.
