$12.4 MILLION BOOST TO PROTECT MILLSTREAM’S SACRED WATERS
BY ASAD KHAN
A landmark $12.4 million investment by the Cook Government is set to protect the Millstream aquifer, the beating heart of water supply across the Pilbara, while honouring the deep cultural significance of the region for the Yindjibarndi people.
Announced on Country at Millstream, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Don Punch met with Traditional Owners to confirm the new partnership between the Water Corporation, the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation, and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
He was welcomed to Country by Yindjibarndi Traditional Owner Aaron Hubert, who described Millstream as a sacred heartland for generations.
“We’d like to welcome you here because it’s a very special place for us, it’s been for generations and generations,” he said.
“This is considered our holy land. The control of water is our main issue... we’d like to have some control — that’s what’s missing here.”
Protecting Culture and Country
The multi-million-dollar plan will see groundwater bores relocated and recommissioned to ease pressure on the Millstream aquifer and preserve culturally and environmentally significant sites within Millstream Chichester National Park.
For Yindjibarndi Leader Michael Woodley, the project goes far beyond water management — it’s about keeping culture alive.
“When you go there, there’s water in the creeks, there’s food and medicine. We want to continue the teaching of the next generation, to show them what we celebrated with our grandparents,” he said.
“But now we see a struggle and a change... the environment is changing, and it’s having an impact on our water.”
A New Approach to Water Governance
The project aims to strike a balance between growing water demands from Karratha, Wickham, Dampier, Roebourne, and Point Samson, and the need to protect sacred landscapes.
Minister Don Punch says the collaboration marks a turning point, one where Traditional knowledge and Western science finally work side by side.
“Traditionally, we’ve made decisions about water based on Western science — how much water is there, how much can we take?” he said.
“But it didn’t consider the deep knowledge and attachment to Country that the Yindjibarndi people have. This is a more respectful approach to how we use water into the future.”
Urgency Beneath the Surface
With the Harding Dam, Pilbara’s primary drinking water source, sitting at just 20 per cent capacity, reliance on groundwater from Millstream is at an all-time high.
The $12.4 million investment not only addresses immediate water security concerns but also lays a foundation for co-management rooted in cultural respect and long-term sustainability, ensuring that both the land and its people thrive for generations to come.