Tribune’s note

The Minister for Indigenous Australians announced that construction is underway or beginning on five water security projects across remote Queensland Indigenous communities — Cherbourg, Doomadgee, Mornington Island, Northern Peninsula Area, and Wujal Wujal — jointly funded through the National Water Grid Fund and the Queensland government [TA-260331-pmc-dde107784759].

The scope of works spans new town water mains, reservoir construction, water treatment plant upgrades, and more than 2.7 kilometres of new and upgraded water mains at Northern Peninsula Area alone, with full completion targeted for late 2026 [TA-260331-pmc-dde107784759]. The minister framed the investment explicitly in Closing the Gap terms, describing it as delivering critical infrastructure to ensure reliable access to safe water and better health outcomes, and as enabling First Nations communities to thrive on their own terms [TA-260331-pmc-dde107784759].

The dual-funding structure — federal National Water Grid Fund alongside Queensland state government — is the notable mechanism here, embedding water security for remote Indigenous communities within the same instrument used for broader national water infrastructure. No parliamentary activity was recorded for this minister on this date.

Primary records (1)

The official records this note draws on — the raw primary documents themselves, as published.

MediaWorks progressing to improve Indigenous communities water security in QueenslandMalarndirri McCarthyTuesday 31 March 2026