Building two-way sharing of groundwater cultural values and knowledge through trust and partnerships between Geoscience Australia and Indigenous peoples  

Authors / CoAuthors

Dixon-Jain, P. | Moggridge, B. | Slatter, E. | Cathro, D.

Abstract

<div>Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples hold a wealth of traditional knowledge about their land and waters gathered and passed down from observations over thousands of years. Geoscience Australia (GA) is the national geoscience public sector organisation that advises on the geology, hydrogeology, and geography of Australia by applying science and technology to describe and understand the Earth. Respectful and successful two-way engagement with Indigenous peoples provides an opportunity to identify and share traditional understanding, complementing geoscientific studies and preserving traditional knowledge Through its Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan, GA is committed to building mutually beneficial relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Aligned with this vision, and as part of the Exploring for the Future Program, GA engaged a subject matter expert to undertake a scoping study. The aim of this study was to provide advice to strengthen the internal processes it uses to engage and undertake projects with Indigenous peoples. Drawing on two case studies (northeast NSW; eastern WA), a framework was developed to guide GA staff in the collection and recording of information and knowledge in a culturally appropriate manner. The project also delivered a road map to achieve better engagement and inclusion of Indigenous peoples in geoscience studies, to be tested and refined in future work programs. The road map is built on six key elements: (1) increasing Indigenous employment; (2) building partnerships; (3) respecting timeframes; (4) embedding Indigenous values and culture; (5) adhering to ethical practices and principles; and (6) embracing two-way knowledge sharing. Trust is crucial to building a partnership with Indigenous communities, binding the six elements of the road map. In the future GA hopes to share the outcomes with other organisations, from applying the framework and road map aimed at improving engagement with Indigenous peoples in groundwater activities and the geosciences more broadly. Presented at the 2022 Australasian Groundwater Conference (AGC)

Product Type

document

eCat Id

147063

Contact for the resource

Keywords

( Project )

• EFTF – Exploring for the Future

( Project )

• groundwater

• indigenous engagement

• traditional knowledge

• groundwater cultural values and knowledge

theme.ANZRC Fields of Research.rdf

• Groundwater hydrology

• Published_External

Publication Date

2022-08-02T01:31:24

Creation Date

2022-07-30T08:00:00

Security Constraints

Australian Government Security Classification System    

Classification - unclassified

Legal Constraints

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence    

Use - license otherRestrictions

Status

completed

Purpose

This abstract is a summary of a piece of work commissioned by Geoscience Australia, focussed on improving engagement and knowledge sharing with Indigenous peoples in geoscience activities.

Maintenance Information

asNeeded

Topic Category

geoscientificInformation

Series Information

Australasian Groundwater Conference (AGC) 21-23 November 2022, Perth, WA

Lineage

<div>This abstract is based on an internal scoping study report. There is no associated dataset.</div><div><br></div>

Parent Information

Extents

[-44.7012, -10.6361, 111.3178, 155.0388]

Reference System

Spatial Resolution

Service Information

Associations

Downloads and Links

Link to Conference Page  

Source Information