Social & Cultural Development

Program Overview: Social and Cultural Development

Through the Social and Cultural Development Output, the TSRA aims to enable Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people of the Torres Strait region to lead independent and healthy lives, with full recognition of their cultural heritage and rights to land. It aims to achieve this by providing coherent and responsive programs that will improve the quality of their lives and ensure equity in their access to services and participation in the wider community.

 This Output comprises seven programs as outlined below:
1. Municipal Support
2. Broadcasting
3. Social Justice
4. Heritage and Culture
5. Environment
6. Sports
7. Social Support (Youth, Aged and Women’s Issues).

PROGRAM – MUNICIPAL SUPPORT

Objective
To increase the number of Indigenous people of the Torres Strait region with access to and gaining benefit from community facilities and essential municipal services consistent with and appropriate to their needs.

Description
The TSRA may provide funding under this Program for:
• Contributions toward the operating costs of local and remote communities’ councils and organisations
• Replacement of vehicles and machinery considered essential for the efficient operation of those Councils and organisations
• Funding or contributing to the funding of the construction of community amenities, buildings, essential services and temporary accommodation.

Funding
In 2007-2008, the TSRA committed $1,266,167 as a contribution to the operations of former Island Councils, $260,000 towards the operational costs of the former Island Co-ordinating Council (ICC), $105,380 for two non-Council organisations previously running CDEP programs, $660,000 as the Australian Government contribution to the joint Australian/Queensland Government Heavy Equipment Management and Training Program (HEMTP) and $71,516 in accounting costs to enable the timely acquittal of TSRA’s 2006-2007 grants to former Island Councils, previously delayed due to the late certification of accounts by the Queensland Audit Office. An additional $670,987 was committed for the purchase of vehicles and machinery.

Achievements
The Island Councils used TSRA’s recurrent contribution to municipal operations for the employment of executive officers, council clerks and resident or visiting financial consultants, all responsible for the management and coordination of the Councils’ operations. TSRA funds supplement the funds provided by the Queensland Government for Council operations and capital equipment.
The TSRA again contributed to the Heavy Equipment Management and Training Program (HEMTP) by providing $660,000 in 2007-2008 to the former Island Co-ordinating Council. HEMTP is a joint initiative involving the Queensland Department of Main Roads, DLGPSR and the TSRA and provides a plant pool of heavy equipment and machinery for use in earthworks and road construction. This program has provided substantial skills development and employment for local people throughout Torres Strait and the Northern Peninsula Area. A co-operative and mutual arrangement between the Queensland Department of Main Roads, the TSRA and the ICC has meant that HEMTP also efficiently and effectively provides the resources for infrastructure development in the region through the Major Infrastructure Program (MIP).  $71,516 was spent completing audits of all 2006-2007 TSRA grants to Island Councils, thereby allowing the timely acquittal and disposal of surplus funds.  $670,987 was granted to the former Island Councils to allow them to purchase vehicles and machinery.

PROGRAM – HEAVY EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM (HEMTP)

Description
HEMTP is an initiative of the Department of Main Roads’ (DMR) Remote Communities Services Unit (RCSU) which undertakes routine maintenance works on a two year rolling program and provides a plant pool of heavy equipment and machinery and supervision for minor capital works projects. The Program is jointly funded by the Department of Main Roads, Department of Local Government, Sports and Recreation (DLGSR) and the TSRA. For 2007-2008 all three agencies including TSRA contributed $660,000 each.  HEMTP and the Torres Strait Major Infrastructure Program (MIP) coordinate their projects where possible and the joint MIP/HEMTP projects listed in the table below are examples of these partnerships. HEMTP also works closely with the Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme (TIDS) on a number of these projects (see Output Four for reports on MIP and TIDS).

Projects on each island are scheduled into the HEMTP program and equipment and machinery are delivered to each island as needed. At the end of each project the machinery and RCSU are moved to the next project. HEMTP has provided substantial skills development, training and employment for local people throughout the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area.  HEMTP complements other infrastructure construction and maintenance projects in the region and is a substantial contributor to regional employment and training.

Outlook for 2008-2009
For the fiscal year 2008-2009, it is anticipated that the TSRA will continue to contribute towards the HEMTP program.

Note: A summary of HEMTP projects can be found in the 2007-2008 TSRA Annual Report

PROGRAM – BROADCASTING

Objective
To provide Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people of the Torres Strait region access to a range of broadcasting and communication services comparable to those provided to mainstream Australia.

To develop and extend the broadcasting and communications network of Indigenous residents of the Torres Strait in order to reinforce and promote their cultural identity and to foster general community awareness of their culture and priorities.

Description
This Program gives Indigenous residents of the Torres Strait control of their own broadcasting and television services. Through the Broadcasting for Remote Aboriginal Communities Scheme (BRACS), remote communities are provided with facilities to gain access to, and control of, television and radio services. It encourages the production of programs with local and cultural input for distribution within the Torres Strait region and the rest of Australia. It also supports the operations and development of the Torres Strait Islanders’ Media Association (TSIMA).

Funding
Broadcasting funds of $608,311 were allocated to the Torres Strait Islander Media Association (TSIMA) for operational and community broadcasting costs and achieved 100% disbursement. The TSRA also supported 16 BRACS units through untied contributions to the operating expenses of former Island Councils.

Achievements
Through its 24-hour broadcasting licence, TSIMA is providing a local service of news, music, current affairs and items of interest, which continued throughout 2007-2008.

The BRACS schemes are utilised based on individual island’s needs. Some communities use the scheme for local productions revolving around local language and culture, while the majority use the BRACS facilities to relay four television channels to the communities.

PROGRAM – SOCIAL JUSTICE

Objective
To ensure that the human and legal rights of the Indigenous people of the Torres Strait region are enforced at international, national, state and local levels.

Description
The TSRA is providing financial assistance towards the provision of culturally appropriate, Indigenous legal aid services. It also supports advocacy services representing the interests of Indigenous people in contact with the juvenile and criminal justice system.

Funding
The TSRA provided $549,215 under this Program during 2007-2008 for the provision of a legal service to Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people living in the region and 100% expenditure was achieved.

Achievements
The principal achievement of this Program has been the continuing availability of legal representation for people living in the Torres Strait region at the Magistrate Courts of Thursday Island, Badu Island and Bamaga through the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Legal Service (TSNP) and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Legal Services (ATSICLS). $218,120 was granted to TSNP, and $331,095 to ATSICLS for their operating expenses.

In 2007-2008, the TSRA funded services gave preliminary legal advice, consultations, legal support and representation to 660 clients, including 55 civil cases and 605 criminal cases. They also handled 11 brief-outs and 22 referrals. They gave representation to a total of 605 defendants facing a total of 911 charges.

PROGRAM – HERITAGE, CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT

Objective
To assist the Indigenous people of the Torres Strait region in preserving, protecting and developing their cultural heritage and to promote their involvement in environmental issues affecting them.

Description
This Program provides funds designed to support projects seeking to preserve and protect the environment, heritage, culture and languages of the Indigenous people of the Torres Strait region; to promote and maximise their involvement in the management of their land, seas and sacred sites; and to ensure that they regain ownership and control of the areas and objects of cultural significance to them.
In addition, this Program provides funds to promote, develop and support the Torres Strait region’s Indigenous people in their involvement with traditional and modern artistic and cultural activities as well as to promote awareness of the contribution made by the region’s art, culture and history to the wider Australian and global community.

THE GAB TITUI CULTURAL CENTRE
Gab Titui Cultural Centre was established in 2004 as a gallery for local and visiting artists to exhibit their works and currently has an operating staff of seven people. In 2005 a Torres Strait Arts Development Officer was established at TSRA and that position is housed at the centre as well.

The Gab Titui Cultural Centre is a facility that supports the retrieval, maintenance and evolution of a unique Torres Strait cultural identity. Through the Centre’s cultural program, Torres Strait Islander people are further connected to the land and sea of the Torres Strait. This is demonstrated through the cultural practices in dance, music, song and language and through the display of artefacts and a great variety of artworks. The Gab Titui Cultural Centre has supported over 70 Torres Strait artists in developing their practice and careers. To date over 34,000 visitors have had the opportunity to engage with the Torres Strait culture through the cultural tourism program.
Funding

In 2007-2008, the TSRA committed a total of $202,654 for the support of artistic and cultural activities in the Torres Strait region, achieving 100% expenditure.

Achievements
The last year saw an array of diverse and unique exhibitions held at the Gab Titui Cultural Centre, including:
• “Kin and Country”: touring exhibition of West Coast Cape artists
• “Bits and Pieces”: works on paper by Kathryn Norris
• GTCC’s 4th Birthday: including the “Bipotaim: Stories from the Torres Strait” exhibition and return of the Goeyga Thithuy Sailing Canoe
• “Culture Cult Clan”: Contemporary headdresses by Janice Peacock
• “Kuniya Tidi”: Dhari exhibition by George Nona
• 2008 Gab Titui Cultural Centre’s Inaugural Indigenous Art Award.
Numerous workshops, skills development classes and community events were held at the Cultural Centre to further the awareness of culture and art in the region and to educate the community in these areas. Events included:
• A lino printing children’s workshop
• A copyright workshop for Indigenous arts at Murray, Erub and Thursday Islands held by Arts Law and Viscopy
• Janice Peacock workshops for primary and secondary students
• Janice Peacock contemporary art workshop for adult artists, involving six artists from five communities
• Holiday workshops pastel techniques by Kathryn Norris and carnival mask making by Gab Titui staff
• Ghost net weaving with Chantel Cordey
• An Indigenous film festivalon tour by the Australian Film Commission
• Martin Nakata’s book launch: “Disciplining the Savages, Savaging the Disciplines”.

The Cultural Centre also conducted two cultural maintenance projects: a Music and Dance Audit in which Karl Neuenfeldt documented dance, songs and stories from four communities in the Torres Strait to be released on CD/DVD in late 2008; and the Referendum Project which resulted in the exhibition ‘Bipotaim (before time) – Stories from the Torres Strait’ displayed in the Ephraim Bani Gallery. The exhibition represented 75 community members from four different communities within the Torres Strait and, together with a publication and 45 minute video, gave a first-hand record of the emotions, hardships, triumphs and changes experienced by our communities, and their recollections of the past, their achievements today, and their aspirations for the future.

The Gab Titui Gift Shop remains a major draw card for the Centre. It has been extended and continues to do well, even outside the tourist season. Over 30 artists and craftspeople currently sell their pieces of artwork through the gallery shop.

The Gab Titui Cultural Centre continued its impressive performance in Indigenous tourism, winning the 2007 Queensland Tourism Awards for Indigenous Tourism for the third year in a row and gaining entry into the Award’s Hall of Fame. It also became a finalist in the Australian Tourism Awards for Indigenous Tourism.

The Inaugural Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award
The inaugural Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award was opened on 16 May 2008. The Award was the first attempt at gathering a thorough representation of artwork from each of the island communities of the Torres Strait. Considering that the Torres Strait is made up of at least 274 small islands, with 17 different communities distributed across an area of 48,000km, and extending over 200km east to west, this was a real challenge. Many artists were exhibiting for the first time and learning the preparatory aspects of putting their work into a professional setting within the Gab Titui Cultural Centre gallery. Despite these considerable challenges the planning was done in only 12 months.
The Indigenous Art Award was a motivating experience for Torres Strait artists, providing them with a project to work towards and giving them vital professional experience in exhibition protocols. It was a resounding success with 15 of the 17 Torres Strait communities represented by 53 individual artists, making this exhibition one of the most comprehensive shows of Torres Strait art and craft ever shown. The exhibition had a strong representation from the art centres within the Torres Strait, including Erub Erwer Meta (Darnley Island Art and Craft) and the Mualgau Minaral Artists Collective (Kubin Art Centre). There was also a strong contribution from the smaller artists groups from Saibai, Iama, and Mer Islands.

The work submitted incorporated many different artforms including pearl shell carvings, weaving, shell jewellery, lino prints, paintings, pastel drawings, sculpture, screen printing and mosaic. The artists had varying backgrounds and experience giving a true cross section of the artists that represent the Torres Strait today. This includes established artists such as Rosie Barkus and Alick Tipoti, mid career artists such as Stanley Laifoo, emerging artists such as the Waigana brothers and William Akee, as well as student work.
The judges for the prizes and commendations were Keith Munro, curator of Indigenous Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, NSW, and Jesse Sagaukaz, TSRA’s previous Portfolio Member for Employment, Education, Training and the Arts. George Serras, Senior Photographer at Australian National Museum (ANM), photographed all the artwork for the catalogue as part of an agreement between the TSRA and the ANM.

The Gab Titui Cultural Centre Development Plan
The Gab Titui Cultural Centre continues to work in partnership with the Torres Strait Arts Development Officer to implement best practice and development of opportunities for Torres Strait artists and cultural practitioners. The following projects have been implemented to align with the ten year Torres Strait Arts Development Plan:
• Gab Titui Indigenous Art Awards
• Skills development opportunities for artists and craftspeople
• Art Materials Project: the Gab Titui Cultural Centre received funding through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board of the Australia Council for the Arts to sell art materials at a subsidised rate to Indigenous Artists, which also facilitated the employment of an Indigenous employee to run the project.

INDIGENOUS REGIONAL ARTS DEVELOPMENT FUND
The Indigenous Regional Arts Development Fund (IRADF) is a joint initiative between the TSRA and Arts Queensland and was established to build the skills and economic independence of Indigenous artists in the region. The grants are offered twice a year and are for one-off, short term projects that offer professional arts, cultural and heritage opportunities and it is hoped that they will help broaden the wider Australian community’s awareness of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal arts and culture.
TSRA twice matched $25,000 contributions received from Arts Queensland to create a pool of $100,000 for Indigenous Regional Arts Development Fund (IRADF) projects. Differences in funding years between the two organisations resulted in 45% expenditure, with the remaining money rolled over into the next year.

THE LAND AND SEA MANAGEMENT UNIT
The TSRA was invited by Australian and Queensland Government Ministers to manage the delivery of natural resource management programs in the Torres Strait in 2005. In 2006, the TSRA established a Land and Sea Management Unit (LSMU) to coordinate these functions. The Unit is now comprised of nine staff members and is supporting the delivery of regional and local level land and sea management initiatives, including assisting communities to access additional financial and technical support and information about the sustainable management of their environments.

The objective of LSMU is to provide support to Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal communities in the Torres Strait region to care for their land and sea through the implementation of the Land & Sea Management Strategy for Torres Strait.
Funding

During the 2007-2008 financial year, the LSMU coordinated the delivery of a range of land and sea initiatives through a combination of funding sources, including $2,280,309 from the Natural Heritage Trust and National Landcare Programs; $441,800 from the North Australian Indigenous Land & Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA); $250,000 from the TSRA appropriation; $121,000 from the Marine & Tropical Science Research Facility (MTSRF); and $59,617 from the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA). In-kind support from the Queensland Government has also been negotiated.

The Natural Heritage Trust and National Landcare Programs have now been replaced by the new Australian Government Caring for our Country program, which will be a primary source of funding for program delivery in the future.

The TSRA Board has recently approved a TSRA allocation of $1.1 million towards the ongoing operations of the Land & Sea Management Unit, including staffing costs. This will ensure greater continuity in terms of program delivery and improved coordination of land and sea management initiatives throughout the region. External program funds will still be essential to enable regional, local and on-ground projects to occur with the support of the Unit’s staff.

LAND AND SEA MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES
The Land and Sea Management Unit is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Land & Sea Management Strategy for Torres Strait under the new Caring for our Country program, as well as other government and non-government funding sources and programs, including research programs.  This Strategy forms the framework for the delivery of land and sea management initiatives and other sources of funding for environmental projects in the region.

The Land and Sea Management Unit team are currently responsible for coordinating the delivery of over twenty projects, including local, regional, cross-regional and collaborative projects. These projects fall under a number of key theme areas consistent with the Strategy, namely: land, sea and people.

Projects underway support a range of different outcomes of benefit to Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people living in the region, including undertaking local land and sea management activities through the engagement of project officers and rangers; fostering sustainable community-based management approaches for iconic species such as dugongs and marine turtles; removal of ghost nets and harmful marine debris from shorelines and reefs; community education and awareness raising about the importance of sustainable water use; building the capacity of native title holders to become strong partners in land management; developing approaches for better understanding coastal erosion; and through carrying out horticultural training, revegetation and other on-ground land management activities.

The Unit works in collaboration with a range of partner entities based in and outside the region to facilitate the delivery of other initiatives aligned with the Strategy, including both Australian and Queensland Government departments, research organisations, the private sector and philanthropic groups.

Queensland and Autralian Government Ministers have recently approved a suite of proposals submitted by the TSRA for funding under the Caring for our Country program during the 2008-2009 transitional year. These projects will enable the continuation and expansion of successful initiatives rolled out over the previous two years of the Unit’s operation. The transitional funding will also be used to build the capacity of new regional organisations, such as the Torres Strait Island Regional Council, to become effective partners for the delivery of land and seas projects.

One key initiative to be rolled out in coming years is a regional Indigenous Ranger program, which will be critical to the future successful delivery of local, on-ground projects in the region, as well as the implementation of community-based Dugong & Turtle Management Plans.
Achievements

Over the previous two years, the TSRA Land & Sea Management Unit has become fully operational and well integrated within the TSRA organisational structure. Land and Sea Management has now been included as a dedicated Output area under the Torres Strait Development Plan, and the Land & Sea Management Unit’s operating and staffing costs are now to be funded out of the TSRA budget appropriation, enabling more external funding to be directed towards program delivery.

There is growing interest, enthusiasm and engagement on the part of regional communities about community-based sustainable management of islands and surrounding seas and strong levels of support from partner entities based in and outside the region for land and sea initiatives currently underway and proposed for the region.

The Land & Sea Management Unit has initiated several processes that have now been taken up by partner agencies and applied as blueprint approaches across the region. Examples include the Dugong & Turtle Management Project and Sustainable Land Use Planning Project.

PROGRAM – SPORT

Objective
To promote the social and physical wellbeing of the Indigenous peoples of the Torres Strait region and the development of a positive self-image through increased access to and participation in recreational and sporting activities.

Description
This Program provides funding for the operational costs of sporting associations. It also provides funding for holding and travelling to sporting events, as well as the construction and upgrading of sporting and community facilities and equipment.

Funding
$1,145,736 was rolled over from 2006-2007 to 2007-2008 to link in with the State program and, together with new funding of $439,708, the TSRA committed a total of $1,585,444 under this program. 56.1% expenditure was achieved, with 35.6% being rolled over to next year and 8.3% de-committed due to the liquidation of grantee TRAWQ Community Council Inc.

Achievements
Funding of $419,708 was provided in 2007-2008 to the Torres Strait Youth and Recreational Sporting Association (TSYRSA) as a continuing contribution towards their operating costs and assistance, in terms of both funding and expertise, which they provide to the various Indigenous sporting associations in the Torres Strait. The funding assisted 43 separate sporting projects, including competition in track and field, volleyball, basketball, touch rugby, rugby league and women’s rugby, as well as the purchase of various sporting equipment.
The Tamwoy Sports Courts Cover project was abandoned when Queensland Sports & Recreation withdrew joint funding following grantee TRAWQ Community Council Inc. going into liquidation. Funding from Regional Partnerships and TSRA remains committed to the Masig Community Hall, with construction due to commence before Christmas 2008. The Ugar Sports Facility project was completed, as has the Dauan Sports Oval, where surplus funding has been requested to enhance the project with spectator seating and an amenities block.

PROGRAM – SOCIAL SUPPORT

Objective
To ensure that the rights and wellbeing of Indigenous women, youth, disabled and aged are respected and are commensurate with the norm applied in the wider Australian community, and to reduce the incidence of drug abuse, domestic violence, neglect and other symptoms of social dysfunction affecting the Indigenous population of the Torres Strait.

Description
This Program provides funding for the operational costs of centres for women, youth, the disabled and aged care. Its funds may also be utilised toward partially or fully meeting costs associated with information tours and/or participation in relevant forums and conferences.

Funding
In 2007-2008, the TSRA committed $303,581 to this Program, achieving 100% expenditure.
Funding of $154,841 was provided to the Port Kennedy Association (PKA) to assist in meeting the costs of their operations in delivering their programs.

A grant of $148,240 was provided to the Mura Kosker Sorority for their administration costs.  A grant of $45,281 to TRAWQ Community Council Inc for their Youth Activities Program had to be withdrawn when the organisation went into liquidation.  A minor grant of $500 gave Thursday Island High School students the experience of applying for a grant and also enabled them to compete in a powered model car competition.

Achievements
The Social Support allocation provides for the operating costs of both the Port Kennedy Association (mostly Child Care and Youth issues) and the Mura Kosker Sorority (Women’s Issues) and has also funded TRAWQ Community Council for a Youth Activities Program.
The Port Kennedy Association operations include a number of programs funded by other Australian and Queensland Government agencies, with the operating costs met by the TSRA. The Association operates a disability support service and a childcare centre. They operate a community hall catering to local functions; church groups; art and culture activities; school reunions; blue light discos; dissemination of information for government departments and other community organisations; and regular community market days. A Social Worker program is operated under the Department of Child Safety and a vacation care program for school children is funded by the Australian Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Yearly activities include Carols by Candle Light and Christmas presents for the residents of the local Star of the Sea Home for the Aged.

The Mura Kosker Sorority is an organisation formed to address the issues affecting Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal women living in the Torres Strait region and, like the Port Kennedy Association, has programs funded by other Australian and Queensland Government agencies, with their operating costs coming from the TSRA. These programs include, among others, Old Peoples Action Program (OPAP) and Emergency Relief Funding (ERF) and the organisation is a valuable resource centre for women, their children, and dependants.