Living Waters, Law First: Nyikina and Mangala water governance in the Kimberley, Western Australia

Living Waters, Law First: Nyikina and Mangala water governance in the Kimberley, Western Australia

Title	Living Waters, Law First: Nyikina and Mangala water governance in the Kimberley, Western Australia
Authors/Contributors	RiverOfLife, Martuwarra (Author) Taylor, Katherine S (Author) Poelina, Anne (Author)
Publication Title	Australasian Journal of Water Resources
Date	2021-01-02
Abstract Note	The ‘Living Waters, Law First’ water governance framework centres Living Waters, First Law and the health/well-being of people and Country. The framework is based on a groundwater policy position developed by the Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation (WAC), the Nyikina and Mangala peoples’ native title corporation, in the West Kimberley, Western Australia in 2018. This article celebrates Traditional Owner’s pragmatic decolonising strategies. It explores the emerging conceptual challenges to the status quo by comparing the Living Waters, First Law framework to Australia’s settler state water governance framework, represented by the National Water Initiative. Bacchi’s ‘what is the problem represented to be’ approach is used to interrogate the underlying assumptions and logics (2009). We find that there are incommensurable differences with First Law and the Australian water reform agenda. Yet, our analysis also suggests ‘bridges’ in relation to sustainability, benefits and responsibilities could promote dialogues towards decolonial water futures.
Resource Type	Journal Article
URL	https://doi.org/10.1080/13241583.2021.1880538
DOI	10.1080/13241583.2021.1880538
Citation	RiverOfLife, M., Taylor, K. S., & Poelina, A. (2021). Living Waters, Law First: Nyikina and Mangala water governance in the Kimberley, Western Australia. Australasian Journal of Water Resources, 25(1), 40–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/13241583.2021.1880538
Link to this record	http://ikbe-library.unimelb.edu.au/bibliography/ZAP9IDBI/

Title

Authors/Contributors

RiverOfLife, Martuwarra (Author)

Taylor, Katherine S (Author)

Poelina, Anne (Author)

Publication Title

Australasian Journal of Water Resources

Date

2021-01-02

Abstract Note

The ‘Living Waters, Law First’ water governance framework centres Living Waters, First Law and the health/well-being of people and Country. The framework is based on a groundwater policy position developed by the Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation (WAC), the Nyikina and Mangala peoples’ native title corporation, in the West Kimberley, Western Australia in 2018. This article celebrates Traditional Owner’s pragmatic decolonising strategies. It explores the emerging conceptual challenges to the status quo by comparing the Living Waters, First Law framework to Australia’s settler state water governance framework, represented by the National Water Initiative. Bacchi’s ‘what is the problem represented to be’ approach is used to interrogate the underlying assumptions and logics (2009). We find that there are incommensurable differences with First Law and the Australian water reform agenda. Yet, our analysis also suggests ‘bridges’ in relation to sustainability, benefits and responsibilities could promote dialogues towards decolonial water futures.

Resource Type

Journal Article

URL

https://doi.org/10.1080/13241583.2021.1880538

DOI

10.1080/13241583.2021.1880538

Citation

RiverOfLife, M., Taylor, K. S., & Poelina, A. (2021). Living Waters, Law First: Nyikina and Mangala water governance in the Kimberley, Western Australia. Australasian Journal of Water Resources, 25(1), 40–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/13241583.2021.1880538

Link to this record

http://ikbe-library.unimelb.edu.au/bibliography/ZAP9IDBI/