The Water Justice Hub was established on 14 October 2019 as an initiative of the UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Water Governance at the Australian National University. The official launch of the Water Justice Hub was on 28 September 2020.

The Water Justice Hub’s 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, especially justice for First Peoples, it responds to the global challenges of delivering ‘water for all’ or Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.

The Hub brings together several initiatives. In terms of activities, the Hub will support mentoring of First Peoples water researchers and seek to leverage multiple funding sources (including philanthropic) to support a centre of excellence. The Hub would link to global water networks, such as (but not limited to) the UNESCO Water Chairs, Global Water Forum, and the Geneva Actions on Human Water Security.

Beyond its capacity building and support for the voices of communities on water, the Hub is a centre for water justice research. A five-year Australian Research Council funded research program began on 1 July 2020 on water justice, water valuation and resilient decision-making. In terms of its research activities, the Hub works closely with its external partners and also the Institute for Water Futures, at the Australian National University.