Roz Walker

Access to safe and reliable drinking water is a fundamental human right, yet remote Indigenous Homeland communities continue to face significant challenges achieving this basic standard. Across WA, health violations of Australian Drinking Water Guidelines for nitrate and uranium have been more frequent in recent years, having been linked to chronic kidney disease, diabetes, blue baby syndrome, and cancers. Furthermore, poor taste and appearance of drinking water drives a preference for unhealthy alternatives, and excessive hardness degrades infrastructure. These create a disproportionate health burden for First Nations peoples, as well as unnecessary social and economic strain. Aligning with recommended pathways to SDGs 6 and 10, and closing the gap for Indigenous Australians, this project works towards the development of a real-time, remote, water quality monitoring platform for application to remote Homeland communities.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have some of the highest rates of infant death in Australia, including Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). In 2018, data from the Australian Mothers and Babies report (Australian Institute of health and Welfare, 2020) reported that 1 in 18 or 5.7% of all babies born in Australia were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. While the proportion of Aboriginal infant deaths occurring out-of-hospital is not reported, there has been an identified need to address the issues of community competence and awareness in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid in Western Australia, for many years (Celenza et al., 2002; Lynch et al., 2005)…