An Indigenous green new deal
We are privileged to have as participants in this workshop Traditional Owners from opposite ends of the Murray Darling Basin and a researcher with long experience working with Indigenous communities.
Cheryl Buchanan is Chair of the Kooma Traditional Owners Association and a member of the Murray Darling Community Committee. Kooma country is around Nebine Creek in the headwaters of the Murray Darling. Two properties, Murra Murra and Bendee Downs were returned to the Kooma people in 2000 and the community is actively working to protect and restore the natural and cultural landscape, in the process creating opportunities for social and cultural renewal and economic advancement.
Major Sumner is a Ngarrindjeri Elder whose country covers the Lower Lakes, Coorong and Murray Mouth. He travels the world teaching people about his culture through dancing and singing, and will be talking about ‘dancing the spirit back into the water and the land’ of the Murray Darling region.
Geoff Buchanan (no relation!) is a research scholar at the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. He has worked extensively with Indigenous communities, especially in northern Australia.
