Better serving remote communities

Water and wastewater services in remote communities do not consistently nor reliably meet adequate standards. Also, past approaches to address the problem have not always adequately considered the dynamics of these communities. These include cultural needs and preferences, the ongoing maintenance and reliability of infrastructure solutions, and the impacts of an often-extreme climate on infrastructure and user behaviour.

There are more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples than other Australians living in Remote Areas and, as a result, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are disproportionately impacted by the shortfall in services in these areas. While most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in urban areas, approximately 20% of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live in rural and Remote Areas, compared to only 1.7% of other Australians.61

The Australian Government recognises the right to safe and reliable water and wastewater services, as reflected in its commitment to the 2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap and its endorsement of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.62 63 64

However, as identified in the 2019 Audit, Australia has not met its national commitment to provide safe drinking water in many remote communities.65 66

In 2015, the Office of the Auditor-General for Western Australian reported that drinking water in 80% of remote Aboriginal communities in the state failed to meet health standards some of the time.67 Other Remote Areas face similar problems.