Opal crown reserve

Since 2020, the building and centring of Aboriginal community capabilities and control in Yuwaya Ngarrali’s work has been a key enabler of all other areas as well as an area of significant achievement in itself. Important DEG-led efforts have resulted in 32 outcomes relating to ACCO capability and control, with a further 51 outcomes associated with community-led emergency response and community troubleshooting. Walgett Elders and community voices have been prominent in national media stories on topics as varied the government’s response to COVID, food and water security, floodplain harvesting and homelessness. DEG and YN’s agenda setting on food and water security in particular has led to Ministerial level visits to Walgett and commitments to long-term solutions to safe drinking water that is having systemic impact. Within our team we have embedded important learning about how to recruit, develop and retain Aboriginal staff members that provide a model that could be embedded elsewhere. And we are developing a new ACCO capability unit that could provide an innovative model enabling ACCOs to flourish and lead change in communities across NSW nationally that could enable significant progress in Closing the Gap targets and self-determination.

Open cut opal mining near Lightning Ridge

DEG holds an ex-officio position on the management committee of the Lightning Ridge Opal Mining Reserve. We are working to ensure that the Aboriginal cultural (including environmental) values

of the reserve are recognised and managed appropriately. Currently these values are not reflected in the reserve's name. DEG worked hard to ensure that good guidelines for decision making are required in the reserve's Plan of Management. Today, DEG's River Ranger team are volunteering to join the Reserve's effort to control the scourge of Hudson's Pear, and DEG is working to represent Elders' interests in the current Review of Environmental Factors (REF) being conducted for OPA 4 - a whole new area that the NSW Government is attempting to open up to opal mining activities.