The Federal and Northern Territory governments have announced a water security project worth tens of millions of dollars, designed to deliver clean, reliable water to more communities across the Top End.
The $53.1 million investment will see water infrastructure upgrades in Maningrida, Numbulwar and Yirrkala and Gunyangara on the Grove Peninsula, part of the Federal government's $150 million investment to ensure remote First Nations communities have access to clean drinking water.
In Maningrida, a joint $21 million investment will see three infrastructure upgrades to increase the reliability of the local water supply network, including increasing water storage capacity via the construction of a water tank, new pipes to move the water from the water storage to the community, and upgrades to the water network.
$8.9 million will be spend on infrastructure on the Grove Peninsula, which includes the upgrade of a water pipeline in Yirrkala to save water that is currently being lost, and includes a water infrastructure assessment for Gunyangara to identify water infrastructure needs.
Planning and investigation work is also planned for Numbulwar, where $3.2 million has been allocated toward investigative drilling to identify new water supplies
Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek said in Australia, most people take safe drinking water for granted, however "for more than 25,000 people in remote Australia, that isn't the case".
"These Australians live in places without access to water that meets basic health guidelines. And another 600,000 people live in places without access to water that meets recognised standards – relying on water that's murky, or contains unsafe levels of minerals, heavy metals and chemicals," Ms Plibersek said.
"This is simply not ok. That's why we're investing in projects to deliver critical water infrastructure projects in First Nations remote communities.
Ms Plibersek said tere is still a lot of work to be done to Close the Gap on water security, and the federal government cannot do it alone.
"That's why our government is working closely with our state and territory partners and First Nations organisations and representatives across the nation to identify, plan and deliver water security projects," she said.
The investment includes $18.2 million, along with $5 million from Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, to construct the Yulara Water Supply project.
The project will provide water security for what is the primary service centre for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the wider Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara regions.
Northern Territory Minister for Water, Kate Worden said adequate water infrastructure is essential to ensuring a greater standard of living for Indigenous people in the NT's remote areas.
"Providing secure and reliable water supply to these regional and remote will improve the quality of life for many Aboriginal Territorians," she said.
