Whilst there is a strong desire amongst Aboriginal Nations to have an active role in established water planning and management processes, they have often lacked capacity (including the necessary tools and resources) to do so effectively. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority, and two key Aboriginal representative bodies (Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations and Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations), are working together to develop this capacity amongst Aboriginal Nations and increase Aboriginal involvement in water planning and management across the Murray-Darling Basin. For example, in collaboration with their member Nations, these representative bodies have been facilitating the roll-out of the Aboriginal Waterways Assessment program (since 2013), and have recently begun the implementation of a 10-step cultural flows assessment methodology, which was developed as part of the National Cultural Flows Research Project. Originally designed in New Zealand and adapted for the Australian context, Aboriginal Waterways Assessments enable Aboriginal communities to consistently measure and prioritise river and wetland health, so that they are better placed to negotiate for their Country’s water needs. In addition, water planning tools such as AWAs may be useful for identifying the values and interests of Aboriginal Nations, which form part of the cultural flows assessment process. The cultural flows assessment methodology aims to articulate the cultural water requirements of Aboriginal Nations, providing quantitative evidence for cultural water requirements that can be incorporated into established water planning and management processes. Through increased capacity, active and meaningful participation in water planning and management by Aboriginal Nations, as well as the acquisition of dedicated water entitlements to meet Aboriginal Nations’ objectives, will result in a range of positive benefits for Aboriginal people.