Bullying, intimidation ‘commonplace’ in senior management of Indigenous water voice

Directors of an Indigenous group set up to advise on how to manage the Murray-Darling river system say tactics of bullying, intimidation and violence were commonplace during board meetings.

The Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations was supposed to recommend how water could be managed so it was benefiting Indigenous communities.

Directors of an Indigenous group that received almost $1m in taxpayer funds since being set up to advise how to manage the Murray-Darling river system say tactics of bullying, intimidation and violence were used frequently during board meetings of senior management.

The Australian can reveal the contents of a 500-plus page ­report compiled by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority into the decommissioned Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations, which was supposed to recommend how water could be managed so it was benefiting Indigenous communities.

The documents reveal systemic dysfunction within the ­organisation including claims of a “toxic” organisational culture with “lateral violence mostly based in misogyny (being) commonplace at board meetings”.

The report also exposed significant financial mismanagement within the organisation after it failed to complete financial records with a number of payments – in one case valued up to $10,000 – being made without any relevant accounting or taxation records.

The organisation, which included representatives of the clans using the river system, was set up in 2010 and was shut down in 2022 after it failed to meet its contractual obligations.

The MDBA said the organisation had failed to undertake progress or financial reporting requirements, after it paid the organisation more than $984,000, about 80 per cent of its agreed contractual funding of $1.25m.

With the Albanese government agreeing to increase Indigenous water entitlements to $100m under the revamped basin plan, the Coalition is ­demanding assurances the money will not be misused.

Deputy Nationals leader Perin Davey said the Albanese government must explain what it would do to replace NBAN and how it would “prevent a repeat of the behaviours that led to the ­defunding and how they will improve governance and accountability”.

Senator Davey, who forced the government to release the documents to the Senate after a months-long campaign, said taxpayers deserved to know where their money was being spent.

“It appears the Labor government is finding the realities of governing difficult, particularly in the Indigenous water space,” Senator Davey said.

Senator Perin Davey. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“Despite throwing more money at cultural flows and Indigenous water entitlements, the government still can’t explain who will control the funds or who will be the conduit for consultations with Indigenous peoples.”

Water Minister Tanya Plibersek said in November the government was close to finalising how the Indigenous water ­entitlements would be managed.

Prior to it severing financial support to NBAN, the basin authority conducted an investigation into the organisation, including extensive interviews with board members. Details of its inquiry are now public. According to the documents provided by Assistant Climate Change Minister Jenny McAllister to Senate president Sue Lines, directors described “unruly behaviour being commonplace at board meetings” in evidence provided to the MDBA.

“Various members said board meetings degenerate into a slanging match with divisions based mostly on male/female attitudes,” it read.

Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Jenny McAllister. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

“Some directors were quite forthright in ­asserting that bullying, intimidation and lateral violence ­mostly based in misogyny is commonplace at board meetings and little is done to stop such ­instances when they occur or to deal with the subsequent repercussions.

“Others have indicated that when this occurs the chairman or other board members call a halt to such behaviour usually calling for a five minute pause to cool down heated tempers.”

Another observation notes board infighting arose due to state-based tensions between NSW and Queensland over representation.

The claims come as Labor seeks to deliver on its commitment to provide $40m in water rights to Indigenous people.

The Australian contacted a number of former board members but none was willing to talk on the record. Previous board members include Cheryl Buchanan, Fred Hooper, Michael Anderson, Justin Saunders and Tricia Conlon.

One former director who spoke on condition of anonymity said senior management was “using it as a cash cow, just completely ripping off money from it”.

The new documents tendered to the Senate also noted significant financial mis­management.

“We note that the financial reports (2020 unsigned and 2021 draft) do not give a summary of income and expenditure by project and a balance of funding by each project at year end,” one document said.

The MDBA was contacted for comment.