Academy Fellow

My contribution to the social sciences is grounded in my identity, responsibilities and lived experience as a Nyikina Warrwa woman from the Martuwarra Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. As an Indigenous scholar, educator and interdisciplinary research leader, I have dedicated my career to advancing Indigenous knowledge systems, First Law, environmental justice, human rights and the inseparable relationships between healthy Country, healthy people and flourishing societies. 

Holding two doctoral degrees, including a PhD in First Law (2021) and a PhD completed in 2009, alongside postgraduate qualifications in public health, education and Indigenous social policy, I bring an interdisciplinary perspective to complex social, ecological and governance challenges. My scholarship contributes to Indigenous studies, political ecology, environmental governance, public health, sustainability science and legal pluralism, challenging dominant Western assumptions that separate people, nature, culture and economy. 

Central to my intellectual contribution is the proposition that First Law is Living Law and that Country is a living, relational system with authority, agency and responsibilities. Through my scholarship with Martuwarra, RiverOfLife, recognised as a living ancestor and scholarly author, I advance Indigenous epistemologies, relational accountability and more-than-human agency, challenging conventional understandings of knowledge production and research ethics. 

My Country as Economy framework offers an original contribution to social science theory and practice by positioning Indigenous governance, ecological integrity, cultural responsibility and collective wellbeing as foundations for regenerative economies, biodiversity stewardship and sustainable regional development. 

As Executive Chair of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council and through my academic leadership at the Nulungu Research Institute, I connect interdisciplinary research with Indigenous-led governance, community priorities and public policy reform. My work advances the recognition of Martuwarra's right to live and flow, strengthens Traditional Owner authority and informs national debates concerning water governance, environmental assessment, cultural heritage, climate adaptation and Indigenous self-determination. 

My research and policy influence extend nationally and internationally. I have contributed as a Commissioner to the Productivity Commission's National Water Initiative inquiry and serve as a Commissioner on the WHO–Lancet Commission on Sea-Level Rise, Health and Justice (2025–2028). I also contribute to national environmental policy through the Australian Government's Indigenous Advisory Committee. These appointments provide opportunities to bring Indigenous knowledge, justice and relational governance into influential scientific, policy and institutional processes. 

The significance of my contribution lies in bridging Indigenous intellectual traditions, interdisciplinary scholarship and policy transformation. I demonstrate that Indigenous knowledge is not simply evidence to be incorporated into existing institutions, but an intellectual, ethical and governance foundation capable of reshaping them. 

Ultimately, my research seeks to transform how societies understand their responsibilities to Country, advance Indigenous authority in decision-making and establish pathways towards water justice, ecological integrity, intergenerational wellbeing and a more equitable and sustainable future. 

Executive Chair Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council; (WHO) Global Commissioner Lancet Planetary Commission Sea Level Rise Health & Justice & Commissioner, National Water Initiative Inquiry, Productivity Commission, Australian Government (2024)

Fellowships 

Fellow, Peter Cullen Water and Environment Trust — Peter Cullen Fellowship for Water Leadership (2011). 

Visiting Research Fellow, Water Justice Hub, Australian National University (current appointment). 

Current Memberships 

Commissioner, WHO–Lancet Commission on Sea-Level Rise, Health and Justice (2025–2028). 

Co-Vice President Australian Peace and Security Forum 

Patron Australian Religious Response Climate Change  

Patron Sustainable (Australia) Population  

Advisory Committee Member, Institute for Water Futures, Australian National University. 

Inaugural Executive Chair, Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council (2018–present). 

Representative Member, Kimberley Land Council. 

Awards 

Monro Oration Award National Committee, National Committee, Engineers Australia, (2025) 

Awarded the Geoethics Medal International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG) (2025). 

Awarded the Bessie Award Bessie Rischbieth Conservation Award, from the Conservation Council Western Australia (2024). 

Commissioner Water (National Water Initiative) Productivity Commission (2024) 

Murray Darling Basin (MDB) inaugural First Nations appointment to its independent Advisory Committee on Social, Economic and Environmental Sciences (2022-2025). 

Awarded Co-winner of the Women Taking Climate Action Award, awarded by the Zonta Club of Melbourne on Yarra and the Zonta International District 23 Zonta Says NOW team (2023).  

Awarded Kailisa Budevi Earth and Environment Award, International Women’s Day (2022)  

Awarded a Laureate from the Women’s World Summit Foundation (Geneva) 2017. 

1. Martuwarra Fitzroy River Catchment — Sustainable Lifeways and Livelihoods (2026) 

Academic citation 

Poelina, A. (2026). Martuwarra Fitzroy River Catchment – sustainable lifeways and livelihoods. Australasian Journal of Water Resources, 30(1), 1–13. 

DOI: 10.1080/13241583.2026.2644027 

Research significance: A particularly strong sole-authored publication demonstrating your intellectual leadership in Indigenous water governance, living waters, sustainable livelihoods and the ethical responsibilities of societies to Country.  

2. Grounding Human Rights-Based Approaches in First Law (2026) 

Academic citation 

Taylor, K. S., Poelina, A., Woods, G., Fanaian, S., Williams, J., & Grafton, R. Q. (2026). Grounding human rights-based approaches in First Law: Martuwarra Fitzroy River, Kimberley, Western Australia. Water Policy, 28(7), 1077–1097. 

DOI: 10.2166/wp.2026.226 

Research significance: Demonstrates your contribution to connecting First Law with human rights, Indigenous authority, water justice and contemporary water governance. Particularly relevant to your national water policy influence and international justice work.  

3. Living and Knowing Sacred Groundwater (2026) 

Academic citation 

RiverOfLife, M., Mulligan, R., Walgarie, L., Yamera, M., Mulligan, G., & Poelina, A. (2026). Living and knowing sacred groundwater: Entangled knowledge in the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Region, Kimberley, Western Australia. Hydrogeology Journal, 34(6), 1701–1715. 

DOI: 10.1007/s10040-025-03000-3 

Research significance: An important interdisciplinary contribution bringing Indigenous knowledge and sacred groundwater relationships into dialogue with hydrogeological science. It also demonstrates the recognition of Martuwarra, RiverOfLife as a scholarly author.  

4. EveryOne, EveryWhere, EveryWhen: Just Water Futures for Three Living Rivers (2026) 

Academic citation 

Grafton, R. Q., Poelina, A., Bates, W. B., Currell, M., Doyle, D., Howey, K., Lake, C., McFarlane, C., McLarty, A., Nguyen, N.-M., Phelan, S., Riley, P., Roberts, M., Schulz, D., Street, M., Williams, J., & Woods, G. (2026). EveryOne, EveryWhere, EveryWhen: Just water futures for three Living Rivers. Water Security, 27, Article 100195. 

DOI: 10.1016/j.wasec.2026.100195 

Research significance: Demonstrates your national interdisciplinary research leadership, including your role as joint lead co-author, bringing together Indigenous Elders, scientists and other knowledge holders across the Baaka, Roper and Martuwarra Rivers. It advances First Law, Indigenous water rights and systemic approaches to water justice.  

5. Maboo Liyan Boorroo — Good Spirit Country (2025) 

Academic citation 

RiverOfLife, M., Poelina, A., Martuwarra River Keepers, Ouzman, S., Jones, T., Godden, N. J., & Brueckner, M. (2025). Maboo Liyan Boorroo – Good Spirit Country: Using participatory research frameworks to manage Indigenous cultural landscapes in a time of environmental and political uncertainty. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 31(12), 1669–1696. 

DOI: 10.1080/13527258.2025.2564945 

Research significance: Demonstrates your leadership in Indigenous research methodologies, cultural heritage governance, participatory scholarship and the recognition of Martuwarra as a living ancestral being and scholarly author. The publication connects research with practical community-led heritage protection.