The culturally safe and respectful involvement of First Nations peoples in water management is critical to supporting First Nations water rights and achieving a healthy working Murray–Darling Basin. Biotext worked closely with the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) and First Nations author group to report on the past, present and future condition of the Murray–Darling Basin to inform the 2026 Basin Plan Review.
Over 2 years, we supported the First Nations author group to develop their reports for the 2025 Sustainable Rivers Audit and 2025 Murray–Darling Basin Outlook. A key component of the content is a suite of infographics that aim to inform people about complex cultural concepts and messaging. The final reports help to equip policy makers with a holistic understanding of the Basin’s values.
Our role
- Content design and structure
- Original writing and storytelling
- Technical writing and synthesis
- Work with First Nations peoples
- Infographics
Our solution
Our collaboration with the author group was grounded in a shared understanding of cultural safety and Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property. Before knowledge sharing began, the team supported the development of protocols for meetings, communication and workflows to enable respectful and inclusive engagement. We worked collaboratively with the author group to develop a guidance document to guide other suppliers in working ethically and effectively with the group, including cultural safety, ways of working, and a style guide for First Nations content.
The project involved ongoing engagement with both the group and the MDBA to ensure we met their aims and tailored our work to their needs, with the author group valuing regular in-person gatherings. This approach allowed for our deeper listening and appreciation of First Nations concepts, knowledges and experiences.
The content development phase followed an organic, iterative approach to develop the First Nations reports, including structuring and writing the content, as well as conducting interviews and writing stories from the point of view of each group member and other First Nations people.
We respected cultural safety and consent at every stage, from documentation of discussions and synthesis of ideas, through to visual representations of concepts and production of the final reports.
Outcomes
- Designed, web-accessible PDF reports including illustrations. Read the First Nations report from the 2025 Sustainable Rivers Audit: Water Country – a story of connection, loss, change, and hope for the future.