Australia – Statement from Moree Aboriginal Women’s Water Gathering:
New Aboriginal women-led group in Moree launches push for water rights.
A new Aboriginal women-led advocacy group, the Gamilaroi Water Carriers has been launched following the Growing up on the Mehi Water Gathering in Moree, with members calling for the recognition of Aboriginal cultural rights and compensation for historic dispossession.
The Gathering, held from 25–27 June in Moree, brought together over 40 Elder Aboriginal women to place their voices at the centre of the water debate in the Murray Darling Basin. The Gathering reaffirms the cultural law the elders have speaking for their community and the responsibilities they have in relation to water. Organisers say the elder women are grief-stricken about the worsening condition of rivers across the region, resulting in the loss of their stories, totems and culture.
Polly Cutmore, Gamilaroi Traditional Owner, said:
“The river is our mother, it is a part of us. It’s where we come from; it holds our DNA. We want her back.”
At the Gathering, women shared memories of life on the river, when waterways sustained families with clean water, food, culture and recreation. They say those same rivers are now degraded, with poor flows, toxic blue-green algae threatening ecosystems and community wellbeing.
Aunty Marlene Werebone, who grew up on the Mehi River, said:
“Irrigation has destroyed the ecosystems that support the river and it’s killing us.”
The group is calling for compensation for the loss of cultural and economic rights tied to water, arguing that water licensing, water markets and entitlements were imposed without the free, prior and informed consent of Aboriginal Traditional Owners.
Sheila French, Elder Gamilaroi woman:
“We, the Elders of this Country, have never been told about what is going on with our rivers, with decisions that have driven the ongoing theft and alienation from Country and culture. Compensation must now be a priority.”
“Time the colonisers recognise and pay restitution for the loss of our rights, never acknowledged and never ceded,” said Polly. “We’ll be taking our message to all levels of government. We recognised your illegitimate law, now you recognise ours.”
