Safe water and sanitation in remote Indigenous communities in Australia: conditions towards sustainable outcomes

ABSTRACT

Safe drinking water and effective sanitation is a basic human right. The health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples living on traditional Country in remote Australia can be supported or undermined by these essential services. Despite global and Australian commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals, water and sanitation service levels have regularly been identified as unreliable, unsafe, and of a lower standard than non-Indigenous and non-remote settlements. This research sought to identify the optimal conditions to enable consistent delivery of safe water and sanitation in remote Indigenous communities of Australia. Using a combination of literature reviews, interviews with key stakeholder groups and applied research findings, key conditions for improved water and sanitation outcomes were identified. These included technology for water and sanitation that is fit for purpose, people and place; capacity-building, training and ongoing support for local Indigenous service operators; and that all personnel involved in delivery require a level of cultural competency to the local and Indigenous context. These findings are intended to contribute to informing more sustainable water and sanitation outcomes in Indigenous communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Drinking water
• sanitation
• remote communities
• indigenous
• Australia

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the interviewees who participated in this research, the Indigenous reviewers who provided guidance on the cultural approach of the analysis, and the engagement of the Water Service Association of Australia on this topic.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Water Services Association of Australia.

Notes on contributors

Nina Lansbury Hall

Dr Nina Lansbury is a researcher on environmental health within The University of Queensland’s School of Public Health. Her current research examines the implementation challenges and opportunities for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and sustainable provision and evaluation of water, sanitation and hygiene in development, including in remote Indigenous communities on both mainland Australia and in the Torres Strait.

Kumudini (Kumi) Abeysuriya

Dr Kumi Abeysuriya is a sustainability researcher providing applied research and specialist advice relating to distributed and decentralised water, wastewater and water-energy nexus in Australian and international development sector contexts. Her work contributes to strengthening policy and practice to achieve more equitable water and sanitation service outcomes, including in remote Indigenous communities.

Melissa Jackson

Dr Melissa Jackson is a researcher with the Griffith University Climate Action Beacon, Cities Research Institute and School of Engineering and Built Environment. Since 2004, Melissa has worked across government, utilities and research, in policy and strategy, applied and collaborative research with a focus on sustainable energy and water systems, climate change adaptation and social change. More recently, undertaking doctoral research on transformative and innovation in governance of small-scale community water systems in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Charles Agnew

Charles Agnew is a scientist working in the water industry. He is passionate about diversity and inclusion in particular improving outcomes and recognition for Australia’s First Nation Peoples. His experience spans the full range of water functions including strategy and planning for water, wastewater and stormwater services.

Cara D. Beal

Associate Professor Cara D Beal is an Associate Professor in Environmental Health at the School of Medicine, Griffith University and a Principal Research Fellow at the Cities Research Institute. Cara has active research interests in the field of environmental health and WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene), community water management in rural Pacific and remote Indigenous communities in Australia; socio-technical & smart metering/big data driven behaviour change.

Samuel K. Barnes

Samuel K Barnes is a public health researcher within The University of Queensland’s School of Public Health. His areas of research interest include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health as well as infectious diseases.

Simone Soeters

Simone Soeters is a social researcher and local government social planner with a background in international community development, gender and social inclusion, and population studies. Simone's current research interests focuses on community wide liveability, social cohesion and understanding the social issues impacting vulnerable or hard to reach communities.

Pierre Mukheibir

Professor Pierre Mukheibir is a professionally registered civil engineer with over 25 years’ experience in the water and sanitation sector. His work in developing countries has primarily focused on water security, affordability and equitable access to water and sanitation services, especially under a changing environment. Pierre’s PhD examined the impact of climate change on water resource management in small towns – “Water, climate change and small towns”. The thesis demonstrated an approach that could be adopted by small towns to develop their water adaptation response to climate change impacts that includes an assessment of existing climate variability responses, thereby ensuring equitable access.

Suzanne Brown

Suzanne Brown has over 25 years’ in the water sector, with time in industry, consulting and academia both in Australia and the UK. She has a first degree in civil engineering and a Masters in environmental science. Her Drainage for Liveability Program, which repurposes urban drains and basins into living streams and wetlands has won multiple awards. Prior to her current role she was the WA Water Corporation’s Manager, Environment and Aboriginal Affairs for 7 years. Recently she was a finalist in the Australian Water Association’s Water Professional of the year awards and in 2019 became a Fellow of the Peter Cullen Trust for Water and Environment. She represents the WA Water Corporation on the Water Services Association of Australia’s national Liveable Communities Committee.

Bradley Moggridge

Associate Professor Bradley Moggridge is a proud Murri from the Kamilaroi Nation with over 20 years' experience in Aboriginal engagement, water and environmental science, working in applied research, policy development, regulation and project management. Bradley is currently Associate Professor in Indigenous Water Science and P/T PhD candidate at University of Canberra. Bradley hopes to encourage future Indigenous generations to pursue interests in Science, promote his ancestors' knowledge of water and mentor emerging Indigenous scientists.