Who Owns the Water? From Colonial Control to Indigenous Water Justice

You're Invited to Sir John Quick Public Lecture 2026

Who Owns the Water? From Colonial Control to Indigenous Water Justice

Presented by Travis Lovett, proud Kerrupmara Gunditjmara, Boandik man and Traditional Owner

Tuesday 15 September 2026 
6:00pm – 7:00pm
The Capital Theatre, Bendigo
Post-event drinks and nibbles at the La Trobe Art Institute (LAI) 

Drawing on Traditional Owner voices and Travis' own reflections, this lecture identifies three reforms needed to achieve Indigenous water justice: improving water efficiency, formally recognising Indigenous water rights, and embedding those rights within Treaty negotiations.

This is more than a conversation about water. It is about power, wealth, sovereignty and justice, and who holds the authority to determine the future of our rivers and waterways.

Australia’s water governance was built on exclusion. Terra nullius denied Aboriginal ownership of land; aqua nullius denied the enduring rights, authority and relationships of Traditional Owners to waters.

This compelling lecture critically examines Sir John Quick’s constitutional legacy. As a leading Federation advocate and member of the Constitutional Committee, Quick contributed to a Constitution that preserved significant State control over water while failing to recognise the pre-existing sovereignty, laws and water rights of Aboriginal peoples.

Water infrastructure supported extensive gold extraction; the lecture explores how colonial control of land, waters and resources generated immense public and private wealth while Traditional Owners were dispossessed and excluded from ownership and decision-making.

Bringing together history, law and lived experience, this lecture invites audiences to consider what genuine reconciliation requires, and why Indigenous water justice is central to Australia's future.