‘Aqua nullius was a myth too': Yoorrook puts claim on share of water billions
The Yoorrook Justice Commission published its final reports on Tuesday, proposing a rethink of the state's multibillion-dollar water system and arguing First Peoples are too far removed from a resource that is fundamental to their culture.
While Indigenous land rights have loomed in the public consciousness since the 1992 Mabo decision, water is described by Yoorrook as the lifeblood of Country.
'That sovereignty was never ceded means that 'all water is Aboriginal water' and the Crown should not have 'sole authority' in managing water,' the commission wrote. 'Yoorrook calls for First Peoples' fundamental and inherent rights to water to be recognised.'
The commission found that minimal water ownership had been returned to First Peoples, and where the state had promised to do so, the volumes transferred had been negligible and not provided fast enough.
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It was found Victoria had not shared with traditional owners any of the $83 billion in water-related revenue that the state reaped between 2010 and 2023, across its corporations and entities.
'Although the state has set up ad hoc arrangements to fund First Peoples water programs, the state does not share the substantial wealth that it has obtained from the market-based water system,' the commission found.
'Traditional owners continue to be locked out of the economic benefits of Victoria's water allocation framework.'
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