Securing the essential: assisting Indigenous communities and their service providers to sustainably manage water and energy supply

The provision of water and energy supplies to remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is a critical challenge for service providers. This project uses a novel unobtrusive smart metering system, aligned with culturally appropriate consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, to reveal patterns of household water and water related-energy consumption. Significantly, the research aims to identify effective behavioural and technological water and energy efficiency strategies in three remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. A key outcome is to provide an adaptive evidence-based and community-driven handbook to facilitate the secure long-term supply and efficient use of energy and water resources in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.