News in brief

Experts audit traditional languages

Queensland language experts are planning to create a centralised database of people who speak, teach and research traditional Australian languages.

The Queensland Indigenous Languages Advisory Committee began gathering details of the state's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island practitioners late last year.

"(We want to) find out where more skills are needed, where people with expertise can find employment, and where support can be given to developing career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the field of language maintenance, teaching and preservation,” said committee coordinator Faith Baisden.

Armed with this information, the committee will link language experts with organisations that need them so they can develop resources for language programs within their own communities.

Faith said the committee wanted to hear from people with skills "relevant in any way to the maintenance and teaching of our traditional languages". They can be "skilled in story telling, translating, research or are trained child care assistants or teachers aides (or) linguists or language project workers in a local organisation."

People wishing to contribute to the audit should visit the website.

New air unit at Horn

Search and rescue operations in Torres Strait have been boosted with a million-dollar police hangar and $2.2 million aircraft on Horn Island.

The new Queensland Police Service Air Wing facility includes an aircraft hangar, pilot's office, maintenance area and passenger waiting lounge. It is home to a new seven-seat, $2.2 million Britten-Norman ‘Islander' aircraft, equipped for all weather operations.

"This particular region is remote and we recognised the need for a dedicated aircraft to service the Torres Strait," said Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson. "It is important that the policing needs of remote communities in Queensland are being met. The new Air Wing flight facility on Horn Island will strengthen the foundations of the strong relationship between the QPS and the local community."

$1.6m home for TI water police

Thursday Island's new $1.6 million water police base is an investment in the future needs of Torres Strait's people, according to Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson.

"The building … demonstrates that the Queensland Police Service is prepared for the immediate needs of the district, as well as being in a good position to ensure we meet local policing requirements now and in the future," he said.
"An integral part of the office accommodation is a local marine search and rescue coordination centre … to professionally manage search and rescue operations in the region."

University covenant

The University of Queensland has committed itself to recruiting Indigenous staff by signing onto the Australian Employment Covenant.

The covenant is an industry-led pact to recruit and retain 50,000 Indigenous workers over two years.

University spokeswoman Tracey Pickwick said UQ had increased its casual Indigenous employees from six to 48 since 2008, and more than doubled its numbers of continuing and fixed-term Indigenous staff to 48.
She said her goal was to see Indigenous academic and professional staff employed across the breadth of the university's operations.

For further information, contact Tracey at t.pickwick@uq.edu.au

New services centre on Poruma

Poruma Island's new community services hub is open for business.

The Kerlie Administration Centre replaces four old buildings and is named after the Traditional Owners whose land it occupies.

It houses Centrelink, Australia Post, Remote Indigenous Broadcast Services and many other services, which were spread across the old buildings.

It is a one-stop shop where locals can go to the library, access postal services, go to the police or Centrelink and find out more about housing, building, environmental health or community development programs.

The $890,000 project was funded by the state government, Torres Strait Island Regional Council and Island Watch.

Disaster jobs

The Australian Government has allocated $3.5 million to help Indigenous Queenslanders to work in areas affected by this year's floods and Cyclone Yasi.

The money is for training and employment projects which allow Indigenous people to get involved in the clean-up and prepare for jobs in the massive reconstruction phase.

A government spokesman said it would engage Indigenous employment coordinators to help Indigenous people connect with training and employment.

The funding is part of the government's $83 million Queensland Natural Disasters Jobs and Skills Package.

For further information, visit Skills Qld or call the Jobs and Skills Package Hotline on 1800 773 048.

Cherbourg's freshness grows

A project supplying fresh food and jobs in Cherbourg has been awarded $135,000 in state government funding.

Cherbourg Fresh, a fruit, vegetable and plant producer, will use the money to expand its deliveries into Brisbane and through South Burnett retail outlets.

The government grant will buy new seedling production nursery, irrigation and water supply equipment, planting and harvesting equipment, seeds and other related gear.

Cherbourg Fresh is an initiative of Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council. It began in 2009 and has been an enormous success, creating jobs for five people and promoting good health in the community.

The first stage involved producing, distributing and selling 20 different sorts of vegetables on a one-hectare trial plot. Under the latest funding, it will expand to 3.5 hectares.

Future plans include a commercial citrus orchard, a native foods garden and a forestry production arm.

Indigenous physios unite

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander physiotherapists and students have formed a new national representative body to address Indigenous health issues.

The National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Physiotherapists was incorporated in January.

"(It) is a non-profit organisation … to (support) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander physios, physio students and physio assistants," said president Ray Gates. He said it would also serve as an advocacy on Indigenous health issues.

Ray said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander physiotherapists were not adequately represented by existing professional bodies, and physiotherapy was underused in improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

"Physiotherapists can play a major role in providing primary care services to treat, manage and prevent a wide range of injuries, diseases and health conditions," he said.

"Our goal is to see physiotherapy being properly utilised to improve the health and well-being of our peoples."

For more information, email: admin@naatsip.org

Creative Generation student performance

Indigenous students from Mornington Island, Weipa, Cairns and Oakey are rehearsing for the seventh annual production of Creative Generation — State Schools Onstage.

They are among 1500 performers from 100 state schools who will present Queensland's largest performing arts event in Brisbane in July.

The two-hour concert has a 65-piece symphony orchestra, a 700-voice choir, 30 featured vocalists and 500 dancers.

The shows are at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 July 2011.

Tickets are on sale through Ticketek. For more information, visit the website.

Awards reopen

The 2011 Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Awards have been postponed because of floods and a cyclone at the beginning of the year.

There are seven award categories, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

Nominations will reopen on 18 July and close on 29 August 2011.

The state government presents the awards each year to recognise work in preventing domestic and family violence.

For further information, visit Community Services.

Year 11 scholarships

More than 300 Indigenous Queensland students have been awarded two-year high school scholarships under the QATSIF Queensland Certificate of Education Scholarship Support 2011–2012 program.

QATSIF — the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation — will provide $1.1 million to 315 students in 41 schools to help them complete their secondary school education.

"The students typically use (the scholarships) for the cost of school fees, or books, or for camps and excursions — anything that will assist in their education," foundation secretariat manager Narelle Mullins said.

"There is no set amount. The scholarships can be up to $5000 per student."

QATSIF is an independent public foundation, started in 2008 to provide funding for improved educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. Schools apply for the funding and then award scholarships to individual students.

Applications for the next round of scholarships will open in July or August. For further information, visit the website. 

Indigenous languages for schools

Queensland children will be able to study Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages at school from this year.

Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) director Peter Luxton said the new syllabuses would be "a bridge for bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and schools together".

"With more than 130 Indigenous languages spoken in Queensland — all of which are considered at risk of dying out — the expectation is that students will be able to study the languages associated with their own communities and local areas," Mr Luxton said.

"While there are similar syllabuses in other states, Queensland's are unique by putting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities at the front and centre of development and implementation.

"The QSA has been consulting …  with communities from Brisbane to the Torres Strait and west to Mitchell. We have spoken to organisations such as Yugambeh Museum, Language & Heritage Research Centre in Beenleigh, Nalingu Aboriginal Corporation in Mitchell, and the Korrawinga Aboriginal Centre in Hervey Bay, who have already had success with revitalising local languages."

Students will be taught Indigenous languages by Elders, community representatives and classroom teachers.

"This approach is viewed as being fundamental to building respect for, and appreciation of, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities' languages and cultural history," Mr Luxton said.

A syllabus for prep to year 10 is available for all schools from this year, while a draft senior syllabus is to be trialled in selected schools with Year 11 students.

Palm art on show

A new open-air art gallery has been unveiled on the external wall of the Palm Island Retail Store.

It features reproductions of works from leading Palm Island artists as well as some historical photos offering a snapshot of the island's history.

The photos include dancers at the Show Ball from 1962, boat building from 1955 and huts from 1920.

Among the featured artists are Agnes Wotton, Rannietta Lind, Allan Palm Island, Clint Barry, Darren Murphy and Maverick Fox.

Electronic path to mine jobs

A new project is linking Indigenous jobseekers with mining jobs in north-west Queensland.

The employment passport offers recruiters a single database of jobseekers who are qualified and ready to work in the resources sector.

It lists jobseekers' skills and availability, allowing recruiters to quickly identify the best candidates.

"Our intention is that the employment passport will become the standard approach for Indigenous recruitment across the north-west Queensland resources sector,” said project spokesman Michael Limerick.
Michael said the project was in two parts:
a standardised resume, listing a person's resources-related skills and work preferences, and
an electronic database of resumes to be used by mining companies, contractors and labour hire companies across north-west Queensland.

Since it was announced last November, the passport has been run as a pilot — with 30 to 40 jobseekers — to iron out the bugs. It is now ready to go live.

"The concept will soon be rolled out to Indigenous school leavers," Michael said.

"The federal government is planning to assist Indigenous school leavers from Kirwan State High School in Townsville and Spinifex College in Mount Isa to develop employment passports.  This will greatly expand the number of available jobseekers."

Jobseekers can join through Mount Isa's two Job Services Australia providers, IsaSkills and Jobfind.

The project is backed by the Australian and Queensland governments and the Queensland Resources Council.

Final call for seniors

Nominations are closing for the 2011 Premier's Awards for Queensland Seniors.

The awards are part of Seniors Week celebrations and recognise the work of people aged over 60 whose volunteering made a difference in their community.

Last year, six of the fifteen winners were from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

Nominations close on 10 June.

For more information or to nominate someone, visit the Seniors website or phone 1300 135 500.

Coen cemetery update

Cook Shire Council is looking for people with ancestors buried in Coen Cemetery.

It has surveyed the cemetery's European and Indigenous sections, but its written records are incomplete.

Residents are asked to contact council on 4069 5444 or email mail@cook.qld.gov.au

if they have any information about ancestors who are buried in either section of Coen Cemetery.

Preserving the history of Palm Island

One of Palm Island's historic landmarks has been restored to its former glory.

The Palm Island clock tower, in Freedom Park,

was repaired under a $151,100, state government-funded project.

Local Q-Build trainees were among those who worked on the project.

The clock tower was originally built by community members and completed in July 1955. Until the mid-1980s a community bell was rung to remind locals that it was time to attend work or school.

The clock's restoration is complemented by a plaque outlining its history.