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Remote areas of Cape York rely largely on groundwater for domestic use and for cattle stations. Rainwater tanks are also commonly used to supply drinking water at the individual dwelling level. Establishing and maintaining supplies are constrained by funding and supply chain challenges, while also considering the cultural significance of the land and water. Climate resilient infrastructure is needed to combat monsoon flooding and cyclones. What ideas can you propose to improve the situation?

Clayton is an Indigenous Land and Sea Management expert and has worked extensively with Queensland parks and wildlife services for nearly 20 years, in joint management services, marine conservation in the Great Barrier Reef and crocodile management across Queensland and the Torres Straits. As a Wuthathi person and Ranger Coordinator, Clayton works with Traditional Owners to look after their Country.

Chrissy is part of the Stolen Generation and one of the Traditional Owners of Wuthathi Country. Chrissy sits on a negotiating team that has been negotiating with the Australian government to hand their land back which is now 50% Aboriginal freehold and 50% jointly managed (between Traditional Owners and government) national parks. 

Brian Singleton is a Yirrganydji Rainforest Bama (People) whose people’s ancestral traditional lands span from the Cairns region to Port Douglas. He is a Senior Ranger, with over 20 years experience in engaging Traditional Owners and Indigenous communities in land and sea management, and is a Queensland regional Board Member of CfAT.

Billy is a water plant operator and has been in the water industry for nearly 20 years. He is chairman of the KULLA (Kaandju, Umpila, Lama Lama and Ayapathu) land trust that helps jointly manage a national park and freehold Aboriginal land across the four clan groups. He is also Chair of the Wunthulpu Land Trust of his own Ayapathu clan group.

As land continues to be returned to the Traditional Owners, deficiencies in existing infrastructure need to be addressed. People take pride in maintaining the buildings in homelands and outstations. Non-housing buildings can serve multiple purposes however, some communities must travel great distances to access essential services. Can you think of any ways to provide culturally appropriate and sustainable structures in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities?

Peter Renehan is a Central Islander from Alice Springs. He has been working at CfAT for 15 years, and has been the chairman for ten.

Marilyn is from the Wik Iiyan country to the northwest of Coen in Cape York. She is the chairperson for the Moompa-Awu Aboriginal Corporation that looks after the families belonging to the Meripah homeland.

Lyndon is a chartered electrical engineer, Fellow within the Institute of Engineers and Managing Director of Ekistica technical advisory and engineering services firm based in Alice Springs. Ekistica’s primary focus is how to deliver complicated infrastructure in hard to get to places, particularly in the context of communities and regions where geographic isolation has previously limited the access to good technical outcomes.