STRATEGY PROJECT EXPERIENCE
Explore our project experience across Australia and the Pacific.
Eric in New Looma in the West Kimberley, Western Australia (2024)
Investment Prioritisation for Remote Community Water Infrastructure
Northern Territory Government
Power and Water Corporation (2024 – Current)
Priority Action 3 is a critical component of the Territory Water Plan, focusing on improving water security and quality for Aboriginal and remote communities and enabling long-term investment in remote water infrastructure to support economic development, community resilience to climate change, and improved liveability. The Investment Priority Framework promotes transparency and consistency for NTG project selection. It includes guiding principles, priority areas, strategic fit, social impacts, deliverability, and implementation approaches. This framework supports the Rolling Capital Program for Remote Water Security and Water Quality, Land Servicing and Infrastructure Headworks Program, and funding proposals with the Federal Government (National Water Grid Authority). Aquanex provides strategic guidance and expertise to five key Northern Territory Government (NTG) agencies to help them formulate an Investment Prioritisation Framework and a Remote Community Water Infrastructure Priority List (list of water projects) that are aligned with the objectives of Priority Action 3 of the Territory Water Plan. Our team collaborates with five NTG agencies: Power and Water Corporation, the Office of Water Security, the Department of Housing, Local Government & Community Development, the Department of Health, and the Department of Lands, Planning & Environment. Our work encompasses regulatory and legislative context mapping, framework design, program management, implementation strategy, and complex stakeholder engagement and facilitation across the NT government and Aboriginal peak bodies.
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Aerial photo of the Aboriginal community of Yuelamu, Central Australia, Northern Territory (2023)
Aerial photo of the Aboriginal community of New Looma, West Kimberley, Western Australia (2024)
Develop a long-term strategy to support water services to the 44 small Aboriginal communities
Western Australian Government
Water Corporation (2024 – Current)
In July 2023, the responsibility for providing water and wastewater services to 141 Aboriginal communities, including 44 small communities, was transferred from the Department of Communities to the Water Corporation. A long-term strategy is being developed to support establishing and negotiating a Service Agreement under an inter-agency agreement to provide water services to the 44 communities under the Aboriginal Communities Water Services program. The strategy clearly defines roles and responsibilities, scope of services, levels of service, evaluation, and funding mechanisms. Upon transfer to Water Corporation, these 44 communities still need additional treasury funding to meet the standard level of service provided to the other communities. Aquanex provides strategic support and technical expertise to formulate an interim arrangement and a long-term strategy for managing 44 Aboriginal community water schemes. These arrangements aim to protect public health and uphold a commitment to ongoing improvement in service delivery to these vital communities. Our work involves conducting analytical research, literature reviews, policy framework design, evidence-based policy formulation, implementation strategy development, corporate risk assessment, business case development, stakeholder mapping, consultation, engagement, and workshop facilitation to foster understanding and alignment on the proposed solutions and arrangements.
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Development of a strategy to guide the development of 72 Aboriginal Remote Community Water Supply Plans across the Northern Territory
Northern Territory Government
Power and Water Corporation (2022)
Power and Water Corporation needed to develop Remote Community Water Supply Plans for 72 Aboriginal remote communities to effectively support its key strategic water source and infrastructure planning. These Water Supply Plans review, analyse, and recommend ’whole-system' improvements to enhance water supply security for these communities. They also set community-specific targets and prioritise projects and programs to improve water supply security. The aim is to determine the optimal combination of measures and actions to balance water demand, available source supply capacity (source security), and infrastructure capacity considerations to deliver agreed-upon or target standards and service levels. Aquanex provided strategic and technical expertise to formulate the strategy for developing these community water supply plans. The strategy establishes a framework and roadmap for developing and implementing these plans. Our work involved project formulation and objective setting, gap analysis and review, analytical research, strategy development, roadmap implementation, risk assessment, stakeholder consultation and workshop facilitation to foster understanding and alignment on the proposed solutions and arrangements.
Aerial photo of the Aboriginal community of Pmara Jutunta, Central Australia, Northern Territory (2023)