YN Webinar: Understanding Food & Water Insecurity in Walgett and Building Community-Led Solutions

Food and water security is a major concern for the Walgett community. The Dharriwaa Elders Group (DEG) and the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS) have been working to improve access to fresh, affordable food and safe drinking water for many years. Since 2018, DEG and WAMS have been working with colleagues at UNSW and The George Institute for Global Health (TGI) to further their vision for change in this area, bolstered by a recent NHMRC Ideas grant Food and Water for Life: co-creation and evaluation of sustainable innovations to strengthen food and water security. In 2022, WAMS, DEG and Aboriginal researchers led the surveying of 250 Aboriginal people in Walgett about their experiences of food and water security, with the shocking results widely reported in recent media stories.

In this Yuwaya Ngarra-li webinar, you will hear from key Walgett Food and Water for Life collaborators from DEG, WAMS, UNSW and TGI on the survey's methodology and alarming findings, as well as the ongoing community-led efforts to improve food and water security in Walgett. This includes:

• Virginia Robinson, Secretary of the Dharriwaa Elders Group
• Trish Tonkin, Food and Water for Life Project Officer at the Dharriwaa Elders Group and a 'Walgett girl, born and bred'
• Annie Deane, Coordinator of the Healthy for Life Program and community garden at the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service
• And a panel discussion facilitated by Ruth McCausland, Director of Yuwaya Ngarra-li, including:
  • Keziah Bennett-Brook, Torres Strait Islander woman and Program Head of Guunu-maana at The George Institute and an Investigator on the NHMRC Food and Water for Life project
  • Greg Leslie, Director of the UNSW Global Water Institute and Professor of Chemical Engineering, and an Investigator on the NHMRC Food and Water for Life project
  • Alinta Trindall, Thunghutti and Gamilaroi woman and a Research Assistant with Yuwaya Ngarra-li who was part of the Walgett food and water security survey team.

Event image: Walgett community member Lorraine Murray washing fruit with bottled water due to the poor quality of the town drinking water. Credit ABC News: Shaun Kingma

Read the report here.

Inside UNSW: UNSW and Dharriwaa Elders Group improving water security in Walgett

ABC News: The Australian town where water insecurity is felt more than some communities in Bangladesh

The Sydney Morning Herald: The town where Coca-Cola runs more freely than drinking water

ABC News: Walgett drinking water quality, river system concerns aired by distressed residents