• UC Level 5, Salary Range $74,678 pa - $84,845 pa + 17% Super.
• Part Time, Fixed Term Opportunity - two days per week for a 2-year term.

We are seeking expressions of interest (EOIs) for a First Nations Advisor/Liaison to work as part of a team at the Centre for Applied Water Science (CAWS), University of Canberra on the Flow Monitoring, Evaluation and Research (MER) Program in the Lachlan Catchment. The role will be supported by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council and the successful candidate may work from one of their offices in the region.

The Flow-MER Program is the primary means by which the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) monitors and evaluates the delivery of environmental water in the Murray-Darling Basin. This program supports water managers, demonstrates outcomes, informs adaptive management, and fulfills legislative requirements associated with managing Commonwealth owned environmental water. More information can be found here: https://flow-mer.org.au/.

As part of Flow-MER, the CEWH are working to embed First Nations' knowledge, science and management practices into the science program. As such, we are seeking to engage a First Nations Cultural Advisor/Liaison to work as part of our team. This role will ideally be filled by a local Indigenous person from one of the Nations along the Lachlan River. This person will work with our team to develop our plans and activities for the Lachlan during the planning stage (until June 2024), then will work as part of our team to deliver the program (from July 2024).

The successful candidate will communicate and work with First Nations and non-First Nations groups and People along the Lachlan River to incorporate First Nations values and considerations into environmental water planning and management. The role will involve participating in on-line and in-person meetings with the broader team, the client (CEWH), and varying local groups along the Lachlan River and in Canberra. The role will also involve contributing to writing and reviewing documents. The successful candidate will be supported by the Flow MER Basin First Nations Team and similar positions are being advertised across nine other river systems in the Murray Darling Basin. This role will be approximately two days per week, however the nature of this role means the timing of work will vary throughout the year.

The successful candidate will have strong communication skills, work effectively in a team and unsupervised, and work well to meet deadlines.

Primary Responsibilities

As the local First Nations Cultural Advisor/Liaison to the Lachlan, some of your responsibilities may include but not limited to:

• Communicate and work with First Nations and non-First Nations groups and People along the Lachlan River to develop our understanding of water dependent culturally significant sites, landscapes, species and values.
• Work collaboratively with the team and the CEWH to incorporate First Nations values and considerations into environmental water planning and management.
• Consider monitoring programs for cultural indicators along with seasonal calendar implementation - does environmental water maintain or improve cultural values?
• Contribute to communication and engagement activities such as writing articles for our quarterly newsletter, on-line stories, and annual report.

To be eligible for this role, you should ideally.

• Be a local Indigenous person from one of the Nations along the Lachlan River.
• Possess a valid driver's license, with experience in 4WDing highly desirable.