Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

World Water Day was on March 22, a global event to celebrate water and to raise awareness of the two billion people living without access to safe water. The theme for 2024 was 'water for peace', focusing on the critical role that water plays in the stability and prosperity of the world. We understand water to be intrinsically linked to Indigenous women's safety, wellness and leadership. Water is necessary for human survival, but for First Nations communities it holds spiritual and cultural significance as well. It is a living spirit, sacred to First Nations people because it gives life and it is used in many ceremonies. First Nations women have traditional and inherent roles as water carriers and protectors of traditional lands and waterways.

As a proud First Nations woman, I understand that making real systemic change and ensuring First Nations women's safety always begins with water, land and ceremony. As stewards of the land and the waterways, we are at the forefront of that action. The right to safety for water protectors must be insured at all levels of government, whether it is local, state, national or international. Throughout history, Indigenous women have cared for the environment, our Mother Earth, because we know that when she is safe and well and at peace so too are we. Our teachings show that we are part of the environment and the world around us, not separate from it. We must restore harmony and live in balance with Mother Earth because we are all related and we are all responsible for caring for her. Just as our ancestors ensured that our lands and waters were cared for, we must ensure that we are cared for and restore balance with Mother Earth for each of us and for our grandchildren's children.

First Nations women lead differently. We lead from the heart. We lead from the community perspective, embedding cultural understandings and Indigenous world views from the ground up. As First Nations women, we strive to protect First Nations women's safety and the safety of our Mother Earth, grounded in the strength of our culture, and we strive to continue the healing and wellness that ceremony, land and water-based practices bring.