Award winning docu-series, Voices of the River, follows 10 Traditional Owners of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River as they fight to protect this critical waterway from a large-scale water extraction proposal – and it premieres online tomorrow night!

 

Have you heard of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River? Tucked up in the stunning Kimberley region of WA, the Martuwarra Fitzroy is one of the last wild rivers in the world. The Traditional Owners of this area have an intrinsic connection to this National Heritage-listed river, but it’s recently come under threat of a Murray-Darling style disaster.

 

 

In recent years, proposals have been put to the WA Government by landowners in the Kimberley, including Australia’s richest woman, Gina Rinehart, and one of Australia’s most land-rich agriculturalists, Malcolm Harris, to pump over 365 billion litres of water from the river for intensive-agricultural purposes. 

The Martuwarra Fitzroy River holds deep cultural and environmental significance for the Traditional Owners and the rest of Australia, and Voices of the River docu-series shares why.

June Oscar AO is a proud Bunuba woman and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and described the series as ‘incredibly powerful’.

‘As First Peoples we have a right to speak our languages, to be on Country, to be in control of our knowledges and resources, and to be free to practice our Law and culture. The protection of Bandaral Ngarri (Martuwarra Fitzroy River) is critical to upholding these rights,’ she said.

 

Photo thanks to Tourism WA

 

Voices of the River was directed by Stephanie King and filmed by cinematographer John Chisolm, in partnership with Environs Kimberley, the Kimberley Land Council and The Kimberley – Like Nowhere Else alliance. 

You can watch the series on the Voices of the River Facebook page or Instagram TV. Episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays at 3:30pm AWST or 5:30pm AEST, beginning Wednesday 28 July 2021.

 

Photos thanks to Tourism WA