Dampier Peninsula community Djarindjin receives new water source

A community in WA’s remote Kimberley is the first to receive a new water source under a community-led water services upgrade program for Aboriginal communities. A $20.4 million investment in new water infrastructure at Djarindjin, an Aboriginal community 170km north of Broome, will give the remote town safer and more reliable water services. The Dampier Peninsula community’s new bore field is the first water source established since the WA Government handed over water service responsibilities for 141 Aboriginal communities to Water Corporation last year. Celebrating the first year of Water Corporation’s Aboriginal Communities Water Services program, Water Minister Simone McGurk visited Djarindjin on Tuesday July 2 to meet with community leaders and see the initiatives aimed at supporting population growth and improving health and wellbeing outcomes. Ms McGurk said the $20.4m investment in Djarindjin was the latest milestone in delivering generational change to water services in Aboriginal communities. “The first year of the Aboriginal Communities Water Services program has focused on building partnerships with communities to identify critical water quality issues and implement short-term solutions while planning for the future, and already we have seen some great results,” she said. “Importantly, Water Corporation has also established a robust water quality monitoring program to protect public health. “This work is helping transform communities by helping to deliver wellbeing outcomes for people in these communities, while creating opportunities for local Aboriginal businesses that benefit the whole region.” Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna echoed the sentiment, saying access to clean and reliable water was a fundamental right, and Water Corporation’s program was vital to delivering improved health and wellbeing outcomes. “In Djarindjin and elsewhere, these staged upgrades will make a difference to everyday life, helping our people and communities thrive,” she said. “Employing Aboriginal people, where possible, has given an Aboriginal voice to Water Corporation’s community engagement and project delivery, helping deliver better outcomes for this vital work.”