The one-hour launch event will introduce the Australian Drinking Water Record (ADWR), present insights from the first dataset version, and open opportunities for collaboration and ADWR development.
The Australian Drinking Water Record (ADWR) has been developed by the Water Justice Hub with funding from Equity Trustees and support from the Australian Research Council and the Australian National University (ANU). It is an initiative to establish a public data and research infrastructure that addresses persistent knowledge gaps in community-level drinking water quality and supports improved health outcomes in regional, remote, and Indigenous communities across Australia, particularly in locations with fewer than 10,000 people. The ADWR provides accessible, consolidated public access to interactive visualisations and high-level summaries of publicly reported compliance data from water service providers, supporting evidence-based, equitable, and culturally responsive decision-making on drinking water.
The initial release will include publicly available drinking water compliance data from four jurisdictions: the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia. Coverage may expand to New South Wales, Queensland, and Tasmania as data collection and processing continue, subject to ongoing collaborations with relevant agencies.
Water Justice Hub
The Water Justice Hub is a centre for water justice research, policy engagement, and capacity building. Its mission is to respond to water injustice and to promote both “voice” and truth-telling in relation to water. While the Hub has a primary focus on Australia—particularly justice for First Peoples—it also engages with global challenges in delivering “water for all” under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. Emeritus Professor R. Quentin Grafton, Australian Laureate Fellow, is the Convenor of the Water Justice Hub.
Event Speakers
Dr Thi Ha Lien Le
Lien Le is a Research Fellow at the Water Justice Hub, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University (ANU). Prior to this role, she served as Vice Director of the Centre for Agricultural Policy at the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) in Vietnam.