Background
Murra Murra station is an 87,000 ha property which is managed by the Kooma
Traditional Owners Association Inc. (KTOAI), located south-east of Cunnamulla, in
the headwaters of the Culgoa River in southern Queensland. The property comprises a
number of original pastoral holdings and incorporates 40km of the Nebine Creek. The
property has highly significant conservation and environmental values, including
several regionally/locally significant habitat types, and a number of rare and
threatened flora and fauna species.
The KTOAI is comprised of all the clans of Kooma traditional country and each clan
is represented at the Kooma Council with Cheryl Buchanan as the Chair. The KTOAI
aims to manage the properties primarily for cultural and natural heritage protection
and to establish a cultural, education and research centre for Kooma people to
reconnect with traditional lands.
Over the past 2 years, Engineers Without Borders (EWB) have been involved in a
number of projects on the property, which a number of Melbourne Water staff
members have participated in.
Through EWB, Melbourne Water was approached by the KTOAI to explore
opportunities to partner on projects associated with waterway and water quality
improvement at Murra Murra.
A preliminary project team, established in July 2008, has identified a number of
potential projects based on Melbourne Water’s core technical capabilities and priority
areas for the KTOAI.
Some projects involve an initial scoping and investigation in the first year followed by
options for management and implementation in subsequent years. All are founded on
two-way knowledge sharing; and delivering sustainable outcomes that can be
maintained by the KTOAI.
This agreement represents a formal commitment by each of the parties to the
partnership. It is intended as the basis of establishing a long-term relationship, with a
review at the end of the first year and learnings applied to subsequent years.
Objectives of this agreement
The following objectives were identified as shared for all partners:
1. Deliver projects which improve the health of water sources and/or use of water on the Murra Murra and Bendee Downs properties (for example, improved health of rivers and waterholes, sustainable water use for properties and food production) to help achieve the Kooma Nation’s vision for the properties.
2. Provide professional and personal development opportunities that can be accessed by a diverse range of people (e.g. broad range of backgrounds, knowledge, skills, age, gender)
3. Share skills and resources to build the knowledge and capacity of each of the partners in the areas of environmental sustainability, waterway management, cultural heritage and cross cultural awareness.
4. Design and deliver projects with tangible outcomes that are environmentally sustainable and can be maintained by the Kooma Nation
5. No person associated with the partnership is harmed as a result of activities undertaken as part of the Partnership Agreement.