The lie of aqua nullius, ‘nobody’s water', prevails in Australia. Indigenous water reserves are not enough to deliver justice
- Written by: Kat Taylor, Water Justice Hub Research Fellow, Australian National University
James D. Morgan/Getty Images When the British colonised Australia they assumed terra nullius, “nobody’s land”, and aqua nullius, “nobody’s water”. In 1992, terra nullius was overturned – but aqua nullius remains.
Aqua nullius denies the existence of Indigenous peoples’ own water governance principles,...