NSW Environmental Protection Agency NSW Government
 

Narwan Village investigation

Narwan Village is one of 61 discrete Aboriginal communities in NSW, formerly known as Aboriginal missions and reserves. Many of these communities face legacy contamination issues, including waste and asbestos, which pose risks to health, housing and infrastructure development.

The NSW Government works with Local Aboriginal Land Councils to assess environmental contamination and support remediation efforts. This includes improving waste management and enabling safe infrastructure development.

A Truth Telling story was shared by Steven Ahoy in the NSW State of the Environment 2024 report. It provides a first-hand account of the living conditions of the discrete Aboriginal community known as Narwan Village in Armidale. The story raises a number of personal insights and concerns of exposure to contamination and waste.

Investigation planning

The EPA is here to work with community to design and carry out surface soil and water testing. We are committed to actively learn from and listen to Aboriginal voices, cultures and knowledges.

We are working in partnership with

  • Steven Ahoy, a member of the EPA’s Aboriginal Peoples Knowledge Group
  • Armidale Local Aboriginal Land Council
  • Narwan Village and Aboriginal community members
  • other stakeholders

Together we are co-designing the next steps for the Narwan Village investigation.

Community consultations

Community consultation has been central to the development of the Narwan Village Investigation sampling plan to inform technical decisions, give us a foundation to build relationships, and ensure the investigation will be guided by Aboriginal voices and knowledges.

September 2025

The first consultation at the Armidale Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place, provided a space for community members to openly share their stories and knowledges. They identified areas of concern, recounted historical changes, and expressed aspirations for the future of Narwan Village. These insights laid the foundation for a culturally informed and locally relevant investigation.

November 2025

The second consultation at the Armidale Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place built on the momentum from September. The community reviewed and confirmed what we heard about potential sources of contamination and expressed support for the draft sampling plan. It was agreed that sampling would take place in early 2026, with the EPA coming back to share the report findings and provide guidance on how to avoid exposure if any contamination is identified.

Sampling

The EPA conducted sampling in March 2026, collecting samples of surface soil – the soil that people might be directly exposed to – as well as material suspected of being asbestos.

There was no standing water at the time so we did not collect samples of surface water – this will be collected at another time.

Next steps

We are meeting with the community in July to share the results and provide practical advice on how to avoid exposure if contamination is detected.

We will continue to provide updates on this page.