By Melissa Blewitt

A new Aboriginal-led project will bring Wiradjuri knowledge, community experience and connection to Country into climate resilience planning for Lake Cargelligo and Murrin Bridge.
The project is being undertaken in communities with significant Aboriginal populations. The 2021 Census recorded 242 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in the Lake Cargelligo Indigenous Location, representing 20.7 per cent of the population, while the Murrin Bridge Indigenous Location recorded 52 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. The median age of the Aboriginal population was 26 in Lake Cargelligo and 40 in Murrin Bridge.
Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) is leading the 12-month Connect to Country: Aboriginal-Led Climate Disruption Planning and Governance Integration Project, which aims to identify how climate change is affecting local Aboriginal communities and strengthen preparedness for future climate-related disruptions.
The project has been developed by MLHD’s Governance, Risk and Audit and Aboriginal Health teams, with support from Aboriginal leaders, health service staff and community partners. It is funded through the NSW Health Sustainability Innovation Future Fund.
In Lake Cargelligo and Murrin Bridge, the project will examine local climate risks through culturally safe engagement, including yarning circles, on-Country workshops and consultations with Elders and community members.
The engagement will provide an opportunity for local Aboriginal people to identify climate-related challenges affecting their communities and contribute to practical solutions.
New South Wales and Australian Regional Climate Modelling (NARCliM) climate projections for the Riverina Murray region will also be used to translate scientific data into information relevant to local communities.
The project will consider potential impacts including extreme heat, flooding, bushfires, water insecurity and environmental change, as well as the effects of climate disruption on cultural practices, food security, housing, health services and wellbeing.
Traditional knowledge and lived experience will be considered alongside climate science and health service planning to strengthen emergency preparedness and service continuity.
MLHD said First Nations communities can face increased exposure to the impacts of extreme weather, making culturally appropriate climate adaptation and disaster planning particularly important.
Over the 12 months, the project will produce a local climate risk summary, identify community-led adaptation priorities and develop practical disruption response pathways.
The findings will contribute to the development of an MLHD Aboriginal Climate Adaptation Strategy and help incorporate climate risks into emergency management, business continuity and governance planning.
The initiative is supported by Wiradjuri Elders and MLHD Board members Aunty Cheryl Penrith and Aunty Mary Atkinson, along with the Murrin Bridge Local Aboriginal Land Council, Murrin Bridge Aboriginal Medical Service, local Wiradjuri Elders and MLHD teams.
MLHD said the project could provide a model for Aboriginal-led climate adaptation planning that could be adapted for other regional and rural health services across NSW.
For Lake Cargelligo and Murrin Bridge, the project will focus on ensuring local knowledge and community voices help shape planning for the climate challenges facing the region.