Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Limited ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025 66 Funded by: Federal Dept of Social Services – National Indigenous Australians Agency NSW Health – Rural Doctors Network – Western NSW Primary Health Network Celebrating over 39 years of Service since 1986 13 DEG and WAMS are working together with Yuwaya Ngarrali partners in the George Institute for Global Health on community programs to improve Walgett’s food and water security. Backed by research led by DEG and WAMS, we worked to bring acceptable quality drinking water to Walgett, locally-produced foods in community gardens and better access to healthier food choices. Galuma-li has enabled greater integration of Food & Water 4 Life program goals and activities into other initiatives, embedding a more holistic approach. Since starting to run Galuma-li programs late 2024: 376 people were provided meals via 24 YWS & Women’s Group activities and community events New activities are in development at Galuma- li including: • a community freezer program to be launched in late 2025 providing free meals to community • new community gardens, providing produce and use in workshops on gardening and healthy eating with CYP, women’s and men’s groups Below: DEG’s bespoke low-sodium drinking water kiosk dispensed 27,000 litres of water since launching in December 2023. Food & Water 4 Life - WAMS & DEG with UNSW Left: In August 2024 DEG’s Loretta Weatherall gave evidence at a Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry. Below: In October 2024 Alicia Dunning discussed a plan in response to the Elders Council request to gather data re Walgett’s high incidences of cancer and other chronic disease and embarked on a new research project to learn more why we suffer so much Sorry Business. Left: Food and Water for Life team attending WISE workshop in July 2024. Right: Staff from DEG and WAMS at IGA doing the Food and Water for Life Meal of the Month – a Healthy Supermarket project undertaken with the ongoing support of Walgett IGA. 14 We produced 22 outcomes in our Water & Country program. A key way to improve river health is to remove weirs. DEG successfully campaigned to stop Water NSW raising the Gunidgera Weir on the Ngamaay River at Wee Waa to push more water to cotton irrigators. As a result of the activities building DEG’s confidence to resume Aboriginal custodianship of waterways, DEG started to pursue a water ownership plan and applied for Specific Purpose Water Licences while building Aboriginal water management capability of the River Ranger team and other community members supported by experienced independent and agency environmental water managers and UNSW collaborators. DEG’s influence with key water management agencies is maturing, evidenced by regular communications between DEG and NSW Fisheries, environmental water managers, EPA, NSW Natural Resources Commission, NSW Water Minister and Commonwealth DCCEEW Aboriginal Water Entitlement Program. DEG is now a leading voice in NSW Aboriginal water policy to government and citizens and backs up its positions with evidence regularly collected by the Ranger team, and informed and legal analysis of frequent change in water management and policy. This year DEG deepened its water quality monitoring capabilities to include pesticides and flow measurements. DEG was called upon to contribute to review of 2 x NSW Water Sharing Plans and to Namoi Valley environmental watering planning and believes it contributed to pressure leading to Minister Sharpe not providing concurrence to NSW Water Sharing Plans that were due to be renewed 1 July 2025, and pressure that stopped the raising of Gunidgera Weir on the Namoi River at Wee Waa. Left: DEG’s Water and Country capability was greatly enhanced by the contributions of Aunty Brenda McBride, Bill and Maryanne from Slattery and Johnson, and Nadja Zimmerman from the Environmental Defenders Office – seen here during visits with the River Rangers in July 2024 and April 2025. DEG informed again of fish kills in November 2024. Photo from Arthur Murray, WAMS. Water learning and advocacy Below: In March 2025 DEG met with the NSW Natural Resources Regulator. After Cate Faehrmann MLC asked questions in NSW Parliament’s Estimates re Walgett water quality in November 2024 Josh Loxley from NSW EPA visited. In December 2024 collaborators from the Gulbaali Institute of Charles Sturt University visited to continue DEG’s important pesticide and herbicide river water testing with the River Ranger team. Results: dharriwaaeldersgroup.org.au/waterquality
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