Table 3: Analysis of representativeness of findings Location Data source populations 15 years and over Aboriginal Female/male ratio Percentage of population surveyed Age 15 to 24 Age 25 to 44 Age 45 to 64 Age 65+ Currently living in Brewarrina ABS (2012) 415/654 identified as Aboriginal persons (63.5%) 225 f / 190 m (1.2 f/m) Total population / age group 110 133 134 40 Currently living in Brewarrina This survey 122/41513F (29.3% participation of Aboriginal population) 54 f / 62 m (0.9 f/m) (2 no comment) Surveyed population / age group (less under 14 years/no comment) 19 (17.3%) 48 (36%) 48 (35.8%) 6 (15%) Currently living in St George ABS (2011a) 328/1838 identified as ATSI14F persons (22%) 191 f / 137m (1.4 f/m) Total population/age group 91 123 94 20 Currently living in St George This survey 70/328 (21.3% participation of ATSl population) 40 f / 30 m (1.3 f/m) (1 under 15 years, 1 no comment) Surveyed population / age group 4 (4.3%) 23 (18.6%) 37 (39.3%) 5 (25%) Currently living in Dirranbandi ABS (2011b) 69/250 identified as ATSI persons (28%) 28 f / 41 m (0.7 f/m) Total population / age group 10 27 23 9 Currently living in Dirranbandi This survey 11/69 (15.9% participation of ATSI population) 5 f / 6 m (0.8 f/m) Surveyed population / age group 0 (0%) 5 (17.2%) 2 (8%) 4 (40%)
Human Capital: My wellbeing 4.91 4.44 4.27 Social Capital: My life in Aboriginal organisations 4.82 4.11 4.09 (82%) Physical Capital: My every day home life 4.88 4.41 4.27 Financial Capital: My livelihood 4.89 4.41 4.09 (82%) Human Capital The effect of water in the environment on the Human Capital of peoples’ mental health had greatest impact on the Capital Asset of Country in Brewarrina (97%) and least impact on the Social Capital of peoples’ lives in Aboriginal organisations in St George and Dirranbandi (71%). This indicates that when people are affected by flows it has an impact on their valuing of Country and their participation in cultural life. This aspect of health and wellbeing also had the least effect on the Physical Capital of people’s home lives in Dirranbandi, suggesting that natural flows have less effect on the Human Capital of mental health and wellbeing in St George and Dirranbandi. While understanding these differences deserves local deliberation, this could be another aspect of lower ratios of Aboriginal populations in these towns. Table 14: Township comparison regarding the importance of environmental water to Human Capital (5=100%) Question Assets Weighted average – Brewarrina N=117 Weighted average - St George N=70 Weighted average N=11 Q.39: Human Capital - my feelings about my waterways' flows are important to… Cultural Capital: My culture 4.91 4.51 4.36 Natural Capital: My Country 4.93 (97%) 4.49 4.45 Human Capital: My wellbeing 4.87 4.34 4.36 Social Capital: My life in Aboriginal organisations 4.78 4.06 3.55 (71%)
Table 17: Indication of continuation of cultural knowledge regarding the whole of the basin (Question 47) (5 = 100%) Asset Amalgamated Weighted average Weighted average - Brewarrina Weighted average - St George Weighted average Q. 47 The future of ALL the basin’s waterways is a top priority N=117 N=70 N=11 My culture 4.72 4.89 4.49 4.36 My Country 4.73 4.92 4.46 4.36 My wellbeing 4.69 4.88 4.44 4.18 My life in Aboriginal organisations 4.46 4.76 4.06 3.82 My everyday home life 4.59 4.82 4.27 4.09 My livelihood 4.63 4.88 4.3 4 Total averages 4.6 (92%) 4.9 (98%) 4.4 (88%) 4.1 (82%) The following table tests this finding against the extent to which respondents’ views are shared with their families and mobs, as an indication of the extent to which seeing the wellbeing of the whole of the basin is important to everyone’s future. Table 18: Indication of continuation of cultural knowledge regarding the whole of the basin (Question 48) (2=100%) Asset Amalgamated Weighted average Weighted average – Brewarrina N=117 Weighted average - St George N=70 Weighted average N=11 Q.48 My answers about the future of the whole basin are shared with my family/mob 1.97 (99%) 2 (100%) 1.92 (96%) 1.82 (91%)
The following table accounts for all the cultural safety questions in the survey, except the matter regarding the future of the basin which has already been discussed. The scores in this table are only about whether the respondent thinks their views are shared, not what their views are. A low Capital Assets score and a high cultural safety reading would only mean that there was general understanding or respect for Traditional Owners seeing little importance for environmental watering in relationship to a specific asset. If this point of view was shared across a community it would suggest to a water planner that attempting to institute environmental watering as an aspect of Aboriginal socioeconomic development will be met with some resistance in the broader community. Such resistance could come from Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal sources. However, a high Capital Assets score with high cultural safety would point the way to a culturally safe pathway for environmental watering being used for Aboriginal sociocultural purposes. Table 20: Indication of cultural safety of respondents’ views regarding environmental water. (2=100%) Asset Weighted average Weighted average - Brewarrina Weighted average - St George Weighted average Q’s 25,29,33,37,41 and 45 combined: My views about these questions are respected by the broader community where I live Physical 1.65 1.74 1.44 2 (100%) Social 1.61 1.73 1.41 (71%) 1.73 Financial 1.64 1.72 1.53 1.55 Natural 1.71 1.81 1.56 1.55 Human 1.67 1.77 1.51 1.64 Cultural 1.7 1.76 1.61 1.73 NBAN’s interpretation In St George, where there are more white people in relationship to Aboriginal populations, people do not understand the importance of water to Traditional Owners. Whereas in Brewarrina there is a greater percentage of Aboriginal populations, and therefore greater understanding of these matters in non-Aboriginal populations. With a couple of exceptions, the weighted averages for the responses to these questions were lower than those for other questions in Part C. The range was 71-100% — a range of nearly 30%. Notably, in Dirranbandi there is respect for Traditional Owners’ views about having access to their waterways as part of their everyday physical infrastructure (100%). Brewarrina’s Traditional Owners enjoyed less cultural safety regarding their interests in accessing their waterways and participation in Aboriginal organisational life. St George offered less cultural safety with regard to