Voices from the Bush: sharing and connecting on Arrernte Country

Voices from the Bush 2024 was held in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) on Arrernte Country last week, bringing together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians to connect on urgent water issues facing regional and remote communities.  
 
Held over two days, this year’s Voices from the Bush emphasised the fundamental importance of co-creation and co-design for sustainable water management, and spotlighted inequality in access to safe and reliable water for First Nations communities. 
 
Hosted by the Australian Water Association (AWA) and the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA), the second installment of the conference was facilitated under the incredible leadership of Kiara Johnson, Conference Committee Chair and proud Aboriginal woman from regional South Australia, who helped to create a safe space for challenging and moving conversations.  
 
Johnson is owner and founder of three businesses – KSJ Consulting, Platinum Civil and Argyll Recruitment – as well as being a Peter Cullen Trust Fellow, 2023 Vicky Cullen Scholarship recipient, Leith Boully Award recipient and winner of the 2024 40 under 40 Social Impact Award. 
 
In a moving opening address to all delegates, Johnson emphasised the urgent need to address the ongoing injustices facing regional and remote Aboriginal and Torress Strait Islander communities, particularly when it comes to the basic human right of access to safe and reliable water.  
 
“We are here because each and every one of you has a responsibility to ensure every Australian, no matter their geographical location or socio-economic status, is entitled to clean water every day,” she said.  
 
Johnson said the conference aims to tackle the challenges facing regional and remote communities across Australia, opening a platform for diverse voices to collaborate and contribute to the meaningful, lasting change. 
 
“When having a glass of water or a cup of tea, how many of you stop and think about the water you drink? How many of you have experienced ongoing boiled water alerts and notices from the Department of Health?” she asked.  
 
“How many of you know how it feels to constantly wonder if the water flowing out of your tap is safe for your family to drink? Have you ever thought about the communities that don't have the luxury of turning on a tap to get clean water, communities where the supply of safe drinking water is a daily concern? 
 
“Voices from the Bush is a call to action, a rally cry for us to all come together, to have the difficult and uncomfortable conversations, to finally bridge the gap in the stark water disparities that exist within our country. It is time.”

Day One | inspiring change

Day One was launched with a depth of perspectives and experiences, with delegates hearing from AWA Chief Executive Corinne Cheeseman, Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor Territa Dick, as well as Principal Partners Power & Water Corporation, SUEZ and SA Water, and the Hon. Kyam Maher MLC. 
 
Cheeseman’s welcoming address stressed the fundamental importance of integrating Indigenous knowledge into water management practices. 

“As we approach the one-year anniversary of the referendum, it is important to recognise the ongoing injustices experienced and felt deeply by First Nations communities due to the lack of meaningful progress before, during and since that moment. The frustration of unmet promises and stalled progress is real and present,” she said.   
 
“Our journey towards reconciliation and equity in water access requires this recognition. It is a time for non-Indigenous Australians to face the stark disparities that exist in this country and to turn our discomfort into motivation for change.” 
 
Delegates heard from Power and Water Corporation Chief Executive Officer Djuna Pollard, who discussed the success of the Laramba Treatment Plant Project, and SUEZ’ Stephanie Clarke and Legacie’s Daniel Lambert presented on the Ngarluma Water Project, a partnership between SUEZ, Legacie and the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation. 
 
Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor Territa Dick shared the experience of the Kowanyama people in addressing water and sanitation services within their communities. 
 
“The key challenge for Kowanyama, like all Cape York communities, is growing our own people to manage and maintain these assets, ensuring the same standard of water quality and services of any coastal city,” she said.  
 
“Relying on external FIFA resources has been a temporary solution for decades, but a generational shift is needed. Our community members must be trained to operate these facilities while living with their families and community. 

“This goal cannot be accomplished through a short-term program. Conventional training programs and certification processes have been proven ineffective in our communities, and the training of Indigenous people has fallen short. We all know this.  
 
“What we need is a new approach, one that establishes our own measures of success and is embraced by remote Indigenous communities."

Day Two | keeping the fire burning

The Day Two opening session included powerful testimonies from Traditional Owners, underscoring the cultural and environmental significance of water and the urgent need for respectful, inclusive water management practices. 
 
Keynote speaker Yawarrawarrka Traditional Owner Rob Singleton said that while utilities strive to get potable water accessible to the taps in houses, what gets less focus is ensuring the other water that services households is of a similar standard. 

“What does it mean to live in a healthy home? [Lack of acceptable household water] is impacting people severely. Most of us here enjoy the opportunity to walk into our backyard, turn the tap on, water the lawn, water the plants in the garden,” he said.  

"That’s not a privilege that a good number of Aboriginal people have in remote communities. The infrastructure to sustain communities needs to be best quality, and it needs to be built with the degrees of rigor that allow it to withstand water quality challenge.” 
 
Arabana Traditional Owners Neil Brougham, Zahir McKenzie and Bronwyn Dodd presented on the cultural significance of mound springs on Arabana Country, and the impact devastation of this integral source has on people and Country.  
 
“We're deeply connected with our Country and as custodians. We're born with the obligation to protect and preserve our country and everything that lies within it, and so it's really hurtful when we see destruction to our country that can be prevented,” Dodd said.  
 
Concluding the opening session of Day Two, delegates were moved by a screening of Bunuba and Gooniyandi man, Martuwarra River Keeper Community Researcher and artist Hozaus Claire’s documentary, Believing to See.  
 
“I grew up on the Martuwarra (Fitzroy River). I call that my home, and it's a really special place. Water is life. It is what we all need. Water is not just a resource. It is also a memory and a history,” he said.  
 
Claire urged all delegates present at Voices from the Bush to reflect deeply on what they were going to do once they left, to think about how they were going to help keep the fire, the desire for change, burning.  
 
“Every time I come to a conference, I feel connected. There's this feeling that I get, a little bit of hope, like something good is going to happen. Why do we only get this feeling when we are in this environment? Because we go home and we continue our individual lives,” he said.  
 
“We need to find a way to walk out of these conferences and keep striving and wanting for more.  Otherwise, we lose this energy, the strength inside this room right now. 
 
“What are you going to do when you leave here today to keep the fire burning?”

Concluding messages

To close the conference, leaders reflected on the incredibly challenging, vulnerable and moving discussions that had occurred. Uncle Bill Wilson very generously shared his thoughts and reflections on his time spent in Mparntwe for Voice from the Bush.  
 
“I certainly didn't expect to be as emotional as I have been. Maybe it's my age. I didn't expect to be looking down at a community of committed people who are coming from two different worlds,” he said.  
 
“My brothers and sisters: we live in two different worlds. In the past 48 hours, I’ve heard people being given an opportunity to talk about the world that they live in. 
 
“We have an opportunity to integrate the knowledges, western science and Traditional Knowledges, the thought processes and the decision-making processes, the care and concern for the communities that we live in. 
 
“Yesterday, I didn't know many of the people in this room. Now I feel a connection. For me, that's a successful outcome.” 
 
WSAA Executive Director Adam Lovell offered his thoughts on what non-Indigenous water sector organisations and professionals can now do to maintain momentum and ensure the inspiration from the conference is carried forward to ensure sustainable change.  
 
"The next time we come together, we need to show some progress. We can't keep coming together and talking about things and not actually making progress,” he said.  
 
“We need collectively to accelerate to close the gap on access to safe and reliable water. This will take a few things. It will take co-design and co-creation. It will take engagement and a fundamental redesign of the way utilities have done this work, and the culture in which they've approached the work, too. 
 
“We need to ensure funding keeps coming, because the funding is an enormous help to communities in uplifting water quality and water services overall. 

“What are the things that we want to show progress on collectively?  
 
“From WSAA’s perspective, we'll continue on working hard with our First Nations clean water and sanitation network, but there will be many other groups out there collaborating across the board to progress action.” 
 
Take a look at photos from Voice from the Bush 2024 here.