The Kimberley Land Council (KLC), Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre (KALACC), Kimberley Land and Resources Management (KLRC), Aarnja and Empowered Young Leaders have released the Wuggubun Statement, a united call for Aboriginal authority, economic empowerment, water security and heritage reform across the Kimberley.

The statement was formally presented to Member for Kimberley Divina D'Anna, WA Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Don Punch, and Senator for WA Sue Lines at the organisations' recent 2026 Annual General Meetings at Wuggubun.

Under the banner "From Country we lead, our way", the five organisations are calling for "a fundamental shift" in the way governments work with Kimberley Aboriginal people.

The Wuggubun Statement says Aboriginal authority must be at the heart of regional governance, with the power, resources and tools needed to deliver outcomes for people and Country. It calls for governments to move beyond consultation and towards genuine partnership, Aboriginal-led decision-making and shared responsibility.

The statement, below in full, identifies three critical areas where change is urgently needed: economic empowerment, water and heritage.

The Wuggubun Statement

Together, the five Kimberley representative organisations stand united at Wuggubun.

We carry forward the knowledge, language and culture of generations who have gone before us and have cared for Country for more than 60,000 years.

We deliver this message to government: step back, so that we can step forward.

The Kimberley's future cannot be built around Aboriginal people. It must be built with us, led by us and accountable to us. Aboriginal authority must be at the heart of regional governance, with the power, resources and tools to deliver outcomes for our people and Country.

We are determined to build a strong and prosperous Kimberley, where our connection to Country, culture and community is matched by our authority to shape what comes next.

Trust us to know what is best for our communities. Trust us that this is important to the future, not only for our communities but to Western Australia and the nation as a whole.

We call for a future grounded in respect, genuine partnership, Aboriginal-led decision-making and shared responsibility.

Water

Water is at the heart of Kimberley Aboriginal law, culture and identity. Freshwater and saltwater hold profound cultural and spiritual significance, connecting Traditional Owners across our region. The knowledge held by Traditional Owners is invaluable and irreplaceable. This knowledge must be recognised. Genuine partnership with us will protect the long-term health of Kimberley waters for the benefit of all Western Australians.

Water security is essential to the future of the Kimberley. Our knowledge, rights and authority must be at the centre of water governance. The Kimberley must not repeat the mistakes of overallocation and water mismanagement seen elsewhere in Western Australia and across Australia.

Unmanaged and shortsighted extraction threatens the health of our waters, in particular the Martuwarra Fitzroy River catchment and, in turn, the future of our communities, Country and regional economy.

At more than a century old, Western Australia's water laws remain seriously outdated. It is time for fundamental reform.

We urge the WA Government to adopt the 2025 Traditional Owner recommendations in the final Fitzroy-Derby Water Resource Management Plan and commit to genuine partnership with Kimberley Traditional Owners

Heritage

The laws which are supposed to protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage are outdated, unfit for purpose and fundamentally at odds with the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait people.

The inadequacies of the Western Australian Aboriginal Heritage Act and the Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act have been recognised for more than 50 years. In the Never Again and A Way Forward reports, the Australian Parliament recognised the great harm being done to Aboriginal and Torres Strait people by these laws, and in the Albanese Government's response to the reports we saw a promise to implement measures urgently needed to prevent more harm being done in the future.

We call on the Albanese Government to move forward with reforms to Commonwealth heritage laws that make good on this promise and deliver the urgently needed resources to support native title holders to access and participate in the legal processes that are supposed to protect their interests.

Economic Empowerment

The Kimberley can lead Australia's future economy. To be successful, our people must be owners, decision-makers and beneficiaries in that future.

A strong and resilient Kimberley depends on the empowerment, participation and ownership of Aboriginal people in all aspects of our society. Kimberley Aboriginal people have long-held aspirations for economic development that creates intergenerational wealth, strengthens our communities and sustains and conserves our lands, seas and waterways for generations to come.

For too long, antiquated and discriminatory laws and policies have excluded Aboriginal people from fully participating in economic opportunities on our own Country.

As native title holders we must be able to fully utilise the rights we have fought so hard to secure. We must be enabled to lead, govern, own and benefit from the economic opportunities emerging on their Country in clean energy, climate resilience, nature-based solutions and tourism. Governments must remove outdated barriers, modernise legislation, invest in Aboriginal institutions, support enabling infrastructure and establish long-term policy settings that extend beyond electoral cycles. Governments must put genuine partnerships in place, so that the commitments made through Closing the Gap and the Aboriginal Empowerment Strategy can be realised.

A one-size fits all outsider lens has not worked and will never work.

Trust us when we say - the Kimberley's future must be shaped with Aboriginal people, not for Aboriginal people.