The Torres Cape Indigenous Council Alliance (TCICA) Inc held its first face-to-face meeting for 2021 on Wednesday 3 March, in Cairns.
Nearly 40 Mayors, councillors and chief executives from across the Torres Strait, Cape York and Gulf region met to discuss key regional priorities and initiatives to advance local interests and deliver better social, cultural, economic and environmental outcomes for all communities in the region. Leaders were joined by Natalie Wilde, Deputy Director General, Local Government Division of the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning.
Education and Health
Leaders discussed the need for improved health and education outcomes for local people and TCICA’s approach to working with agencies including Education Queensland and Queensland Health to help address inequalities.
Members noted Education Queensland’s Cape York Education Summit on Thursday 4 March and commitments by the Department to work with communities to explore different governance models and identify how communities and schools can work better together.
Members discussed TCICA’s upcoming Health Forum on 14 April and agreed that the forum is a great opportunity to collectively understand the direction of health service providers such as the Torres Cape Health and Hospital Service and Apunipima, and to work with regional health partners to help guide the future direction of health service delivery in the region.
COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout
Leaders heard from Dr Tony Brown and Dr Elizabeth Peach from Queensland Health about plans for the rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination in the Cape York and Torres Strait region. Communities in the region have been prioritised for vaccination, with plans to commence the rollout in the Torres Strait as early as the middle of March. Queensland Health plans to vaccinate up to 1,200 people a week and expects that the vaccination rollout across the Cape and Torres Strait will continue until at least October.
Mayors were assured that the AstraZeneca vaccine has been shown to be very effective and that vaccination staff will be highly trained and skilled. Members spoke about the importance of ensuring clear communications materials are provided to communities to build trust in the vaccine and to answer concerns and queries that people may have. Health promotion staff will be out in communities soon to start educating people on the vaccine.
Advocacy
Leaders met with the Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch MP to discuss matters including the need for more Commonwealth funding for remote Indigenous housing to address longstanding shortfalls, ongoing digital and mobile communications issues in the region, transport infrastructure including the Peninsula Development Road and recent flood damage, and airports.
Mayors acknowledged Mr Entsch’s commitment to recontest the next Federal election to ensure continuity in Federal representation as the region recovers from COVID-19.
Leaders also met with the Member for Cook Cynthia Lui MP to hear from her on her priorities for the region and to raise State-based issues such as the Local Thriving Communities reform agenda, the rollout of new housing under the current program and the need for a long term commitment from the Commonwealth, and the State’s vision for the economic and regional development of the TCICA region. Members noted that the Cape, Torres and Gulf Opportunities Plan provides a guide for Government investment and economic development activity in the region.
Mayors noted that the State’s Ministerial and Government Champions are yet to be confirmed for all Indigenous communities.
Natural Resource Management
John Gavin, Chief Executive of Cape York Natural Resource Management (CYNRM) presented to TCICA on CYNRM’s objectives and focus, governance and funding arrangements, current and future activities.
Leaders noted the upcoming review of the Cape York Regional NRM Plan, with consultation to take place over the next three months. CYNRM is also looking to instigate a review of the biosecurity plan for Cape York. Weed and feral pest control was raised as a key issue, with the Federal Government putting the responsibility for management and control directly onto landowners. Members agreed that it is impractical to expect landowners to manage weeds and feral animals in isolation and that a regional approach is what is needed.
Funding available under the Reef Trust program is flexible and now provides many opportunities to address land management matters such as fire, feral animals, weeds, and tourism impact. Funding of $5.2 million over 3 years is available, with proposals to be finalised by the end of April. Members recognised there is great scope for TCICA to work closely with CYNRM for the benefit of local governments and Cape York communities.
Regional Resilience
On 2 March leaders participated in a workshop facilitated by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) to commence work on the development of a Regional Resilience Strategy and Action Plan for the TCICA region. The action plan is intended to identify a forward program of activity to address social, cultural, economic, natural and built environmental resilience issues.
The resilience strategy will be developed alongside the work of TCICA’s newly-appointed QRA-funded regional resilience officer Ms Pip Schroor. Ms Schroor’s role is to work on the ground with Members to empower them to lead, drive and coordinate resilience activities in their communities and at the regional scale. This coordinated and collaborative approach to disaster management, climate management and regional resilience building is intended to help build the capability of local governments to participate in resilience planning and reduce the social and economic impacts of disasters.
General
Tony Goode and Allen Cunneen from the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) updated members on recent LGAQ activity including the progress of priorities identified during the Indigenous Leaders Forum such as advocacy on remote Indigenous housing, land tenure matters, regional connectivity, and the financial sustainability of Indigenous local governments.
Newly appointed Australian Bureau of Statistics officer Mr Bruce Gibson presented to TCICA on his role working with Indigenous communities to help educate people on the importance of participating in the Census so that it more accurately reflects population counts and community demographics.
Leaders were joined for lunch by 51 Far North Queensland Regiment’s new Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Claire O’Neill and regional Army officers.
Next Meeting
TCICA’s second meeting for 2021 is currently scheduled for early May.
