INTRODUCTION I am pleased to present the Torres Strait Regional Authority’s 2007-2008 Annual Report of Operations under Section 9 of the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997.
This year has seen changes with the previous TSRA Board retiring and a new incoming Board taking up office. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks for the dedication and commitment of the retiring Board who progressed a number of major issues to achieve the best possible results for the Indigenous people living in the Torres Strait region.
I also welcome returning and new Members who have taken up office on the TSRA Board. As the returning Chairperson of the TSRA, I extend my thanks to the incoming Members for their support and confidence in me to lead the Board over the next four years and look forward to working with each of them to build on the foundations of the previous TSRA Boards. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Economic development continues to remain a high priority area for the TSRA to assist our communities become economically viable and financially sustainable.
Benefits continue through the Business Funding Scheme, Home Ownership Program and Community Enterprise Initiative Scheme grants for Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people and their communities in achieving economic independence.
This year we have seen substantial developments in the Small Business Development framework with stronger support through training and mentoring being offered to clients through the Business Funding Scheme. Community Business Development Forums were held in St Pauls and Erub communities for those people wishing to develop business enterprises in the Near Western and Eastern Island communities. The forums have proven positive for all who attended and in the upcoming year, TSRA will continue to rollout these forums in all clusters of the region.
In addition to these three core sub-program areas, the TSRA employed a Tourism Development Officer in March 2008 to implement and progress key recommendations of the 2007 Cape York and Torres Strait Tourism Action Plan. This will involve working with key tourism stakeholders to progress opportunities that will benefit the Torres Strait region.
THE GAB TITUI CULTURAL CENTRE As the Gab Titui Cultural Centre enters into its fourth year of operations, it continues to support the maintenance and promotion of our unique Torres Strait identity, as our region’s cultural safekeeping place.
This year, the Gab Titui Cultural Centre has continued to maintain its high profile and again won the 2007 Queensland Tourism Awards for Indigenous Tourism for the third year in a row, gaining entry into the Tourism Hall of Fame and becoming a finalist in the Australian Tourism Awards for Indigenous Tourism. The Centre was also a finalist in the National Awards for Indigenous Tourism. This is an historic achievement considering the Gab Titui Cultural Centre has only been in operation for four years.
This year the Centre has launched a number of significant local and visiting exhibitions: “Kin and Country”, an exhibition of West Coast Cape artists, was exhibited followed by “Bits and Pieces”, works on paper by local artist, Kathryn Norris. The Referendum Project resulted in the exhibition “Bipotaim – Stories from the Torres Strait” and was launched at the Cultural Centre’s fourth birthday which also saw the return of the Goeyga Thithuy Sailing Canoe. Other major exhibitions included “Culture Cult Clan”, a contemporary headdresses exhibition by Janice Peacock, and “Kuniya Tidi” Dhari exhibition by George Nona.
Of significant note this year was the launch of the Gab Titui Cultural Centre Arts Awards in May 2008. The Art Awards were developed to provide all artists of the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area an opportunity to exhibit their work and showcase local arts and crafts to the wider community. I congratulate all artists who took part in the Arts Awards. It is encouraging that exhibitions and Awards offered by the Centre remain a positive platform for our emerging artists.
ARTS DEVELOPMENT Additional to the work carried out by Gab Titui Cultural Centre, the TSRA continues to work with Arts Queensland in delivering the Indigenous Regional Arts Development Fund (IRADF) Grant Program for the Torres Strait region. IRADF aims to build local skills and facilitate the economic independence of Indigenous artists in the region by assisting in one-off, short term projects that offer professional arts, cultural and heritage opportunities.
It provides support for our artists to develop their respective crafts and broadens the wider community’s awareness of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal arts and culture.
This year artists have been supported under the categories of traditional and contemporary music, visual arts workshops and traditional craft.
FISHERIES The TSRA has continued to work closely with the Community Fisher representatives to progress the aspirations of our community fishers over the last year. The TSRA as a formal Member of the Torres Strait Protected Zone Joint Authority (PZJA) works equally beside the Australian and Queensland Ministers to progress marine and fisheries issues in the Torres Strait. The Community Fisher Group, who are representative of Torres Strait Islander commercial fishers are actively involved in stakeholder working groups, as well as management advisory committees to represent the aspirations of Indigenous people in Torres Strait Fisheries. The recommendations from these forums are considered at the PZJA twice each year on Thursday Island.
The reallocation of tropical rock lobster (TRL) resources was successfully completed in January 2008. The outcome from this voluntary tender process achieved an allocation of 25 percent to Papua New Guinea, 40 percent to the Torres Strait Islander commercial sector and 35 percent to the non-islander commercial sector. This means that Torres Strait Islander fishers will have 53.5 percent while non-islander fishers will have 46.5 percent of the Australian share of the TRL resources.
This year the Australian Government approved resources to begin the buy-out process of the Finfish Fishery in the Torres Strait region and in December 2007, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon. Tony Burke, announced that a 100 per cent buy-back of Torres Strait finfish entitlements worth $10.6 million had been successfully achieved.
A key condition of the buy-back is for Torres Strait Islanders to lease back unused fishing entitlements to the non-Indigenous commercial sector to ensure continued flow of product to mainland markets. The TSRA has been nominated as the lead agency to progress quota management and leasing arrangements as well as hold the fishing entitlements in trust for Torres Strait Islanders. In March 2008 the TSRA establish a Finfish Quota Management Committee for good governance and to preside over finfish leasing and contractual arrangements on behalf of the Torres Strait Community Fisher Group. The TSRA will work in close consultation with the Australian and Queensland governments on a process for leasing the licenses. It is envisaged that profits made from the leasing of fishing entitlements be directed towards building and enhancing the capacity of indigenous fishers, enabling them to be more competitive in commercial fishing. I extend my appreciation and thanks to the Community Fisher Group for their participation, input and continued dedication in progressing fisheries matters for our region.
ENVIRONMENT The TSRA was invited by Australian and Queensland Government Ministers to manage the delivery of the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) and National Landcare Program (NLP) in the Torres Strait region, now incorporated into the Caring for our Country program. The objectives of the NHT are biodiversity conservation, the sustainable use of natural resources, and community capacity-building and institutional change. The TSRA created the Land and Sea management Unit (LSMU) to rollout these programs.
TSRA continues to participate in the implementation of the Land and Sea Management Strategy for Torres Strait. This Strategy forms the framework for the delivery of land and sea management initiatives. There are currently eighteen funding agreements in relation to NHT, NLP and Marine & Tropical Science Research Facility (MTSRF) projects that the LSMU implements.
The LSMU has been established for only two years and in this time it has effectively grown its capacity from one staff member to a team of nine staff managing a range of natural resource management investments for the region. The staff at LSMU plays a valuable role in supporting communities to manage their land and seas sustainably through fostering effective linkages with local and externally-based partner agencies at all levels of government to assist with implementation of these initiatives. These include local governments, state and federal agencies, and research and Indigenous organisations.
Dugong and Turtle Management In Torres Strait dugong and turtle play an important role in Ailan Kastom. Torres Strait Islanders, like mainland Aboriginal people, traditionally hunt dugong and turtle and have been practicing this custom for many hundreds of years. The TSRA has received Natural Heritage Trust funds through the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) to implement turtle and dugong regional activity plans for Torres Strait, which supports sustainable hunting. The plan has four key components: community management plans for dugong and marine turtle, monitoring programs, catch sharing, and education and awareness-raising.
Six draft dugong and turtle management plans have been developed to date for Iama, Boigu, Mabuiag, Badu, Mer and Erub Islands. The plans present a range of management arrangements for the Dugong and Turtle Fisheries. These arrangements utilise a variety of traditional owner endorsed seasonal closures, gear restrictions, closed areas, effort reduction and limits on take. The plans also describe research and development priorities, education and training needs, as well as enforcement and compliance processes.
NATIVE TITLE Over the last year, the TSRA Native Title Office (NTO) has continued to assist Traditional Owners, Prescribed Body Corporates and Torres Strait communities with native title and related matters.
Land Claims There are three remaining claims over land in the Torres Strait region that are steadily progressing through the mediation and court process. The NTO is continuing to assist the Traditional Owners over the uninhabited islands Zuizin, Naghir, Raine Island and Warral & Ului reach determination.
Torres Strait Sea Claim Whilst the Torres Strait Regional Sea Claim remains in mediation with the Australian and State Government and other parties to the claim, it remains a high priority area for the Native title Office.
Between September and October 2007, early evidence hearings in six Torres Strait communities were heard by Justice Finn from the Federal Court. First hand traditional evidence of Traditional Owner Elders have become part of the Court’s records and will also help parties to either reach agreement or narrow down some of the issues to be contested. Work on the sea claim will continue to be progressed in the upcoming year.
PBC Workshops During the last year, several Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBCs) Planning Workshops have been held and allowed representatives from 20 PBCs to discuss their priority issues and meet with other government agencies. The workshops have been positive and have aimed to improve communications and working relationships. Workshops to date have been held on Thursday Island in December 2007 and on Masig Island in April 2008.
HEALTH IN THE TORRES STRAIT A new five year Health Framework Agreement was signed in 2006 by the Australian Government Minister for Health and Ageing, the Queensland Minister for Health, Chair of the TSRA, Chair of the ICC and Chair of the Torres Strait and NPA District Health Council. The agreement commits the parties to work together to achieve positive health outcomes for the Indigenous people of the Torres Strait. The TSRA, along with other partnership agencies, have a significant role to play in helping to improve the standards and access to health services for the people of the Torres Strait.
A number of initiatives are pursued under this partnership and one of the key areas where TSRA maintains a watching brief is traditional movements between Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG). The potential spread of diseases through cross border movements continues to be a concern in the region. With high rates of HIV and Tuber Colossus (TB) in PNG, frequent cross border travel presents a real risk of these diseases spreading to the Torres Strait and mainland Australia.
MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM (MIP) The Major Infrastructure Program, a jointly and equally sponsored program between the Australian and Queensland governments continues to improve the health of Torres Strait Indigenous people by providing appropriate and sustainable environmental health infrastructure. 2007-2008 was the first year for MIP Stage 4 and thus far the program has delivered water supplies, reticulated sewerage, subdivisional developments, roads, drainage and waste management projects through the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area communities. It continues to have outstanding impacts on the health and well-being of Torres Strait residents.
As the MIP enters into its fourth stage over the next two years, it is expected to progress reticulated sewerage and treatment programs, roads and drainage programs, provision of electricity and community planning. As in previous years, the MIP will continue to work closely with associated programs including the Heavy Equipment Management and Training Program, the Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme and the Airstrip and Marine Upgrade Program.
COASTAL MANAGEMENT The Coastal Erosion and Inundation Steering Committee was formed in December 2005 following significant impacts of island erosion and tidal surges on Torres Strait communities. Through this committee, the TSRA works in partnership with affected Torres Strait communities, the State Government and university stakeholders to develop and deliver long term solutions to address these problems. The Committee meets several times a year and provides a formal network for coordination of the involvement of the various State Government agencies and university stakeholders.
One of the key tasks of the Committee is to prioritise urgent mitigation works in affected islands. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently completed a coastal erosion rapid assessment report on the highest priority erosion areas and mitigation options on the islands of Boigu, Saibai, Masig, Poruma, Warraber and Iama. The report resulted in a prioritised set of mitigation options based on government legislation and existing policies that were submitted for funding assistance for these works.
The NHT funded project “Long-term management of erosion on cay islands in Torres Strait” is in its final stage of completion for Masig, Poruma and Warraber. This project is managed by James Cook University (JCU) on behalf of TSRA. Over the next year, it will be further extended to Iama Island. Through this project and engagement with communities, coastal erosion problems are identified and sustainable solutions are developed that work with, rather than against, natural processes. The results of the project provide valuable data for the Committee and individual communities in assessing longer term management options.
In addition, there are a number of other marine research projects that are currently assessing climate change information, marine species management and coastal erosion.
INTEGRATED PLANNING FRAMEWORK In order to achieve the best results for communities through a whole of government planning framework, a planning process is being undertaken by the TSRA and key agencies in the region, including the three Regional Councils - Torres Strait Island Regional Council, Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council and the Torres Shire Council. The process involves the coordination of community engagement, integrated development planning and service delivery to communities throughout the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area. The process is strongly supported by the participating agencies that also includes the Indigenous Coordination Centre Cairns, Queensland Department of Local Government, Sports and Recreation and the Department of Communities.
The aim of this framework is to establish a regional partnership built on individual community plans which reflects their aspirations and aligns with a regional development plan that addresses lead national indicators for closing the gap in Indigenous disadvantage. This will also provide strategic direction for the TSRA. It is important that these plans are recognised by both Australian and Queensland Government.
TORRES STRAIT TREATY The TSRA maintained a close working relationship with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to ensure that the Treaty between Papua New Guinea and Australia continues to protect the rights and resources of traditional inhabitants in the Torres Strait area. In 2007-2008, the Joint Advisory Council to the Torres Strait Treaty and the Environmental Management Committee were hosted by Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby in November 2007. These meetings saw significant outcomes for the Torres Strait region in that the Australian Foreign Minister, the Hon. Stephen Smith, and the PNG Foreign Minister, the Hon. Sam Abal, agreed to extend the moratorium on mining and drilling in the Torres Strait, which has been in existence for some 23 years, for an indefinite period.
CONCLUSION This year has seen significant progress towards our regional goals and delivering positive outcome for Torres Strait communities. While there have been some tough challenges and negotiations for the TSRA Board, the positive working relationship and cooperation of the TSRA Board Members has been tremendous.
In closing, I again extend my sincere thanks to the retiring TSRA Board Members for the dedication and commitment over the last term. It has been an honour working with each of you and I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
Building strong partnerships with our key stakeholders remains a fundamental element for the TSRA and I thank all stakeholders. Over the next year, the TSRA looks forward to again working closely with the Local Government Councils, Torres Strait Elders, Traditional Owners, Prescribed Bodies Corporate, Community Fisher Group, community members, partner agencies and organisations.
My thanks are also expressed to the TSRA Management and Administration for their continued commitment in driving forward the policies as set by the TSRA Board to achieve the outcomes that are mentioned in this report.
Over the next year, I look forward to working with the new TSRA Board to progress Torres Strait issues and continue to build a strong future for the Torres Strait region.