Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Quarterly report on key indicators in Queensland’s discrete Indigenous communities January – March 2009 Contents Report Overview 4 Aurukun 6 Cherbourg 12 Coen 16 Doomadgee 20 Hope Vale 24 Kowanyama 30 Lockhart River 34 Mapoon 38 Mornington Island 42 Mossman Gorge 46 Napranum 50 Northern Peninsula Area 54 Palm Island 58 Pormpuraaw 64 Woorabinda 70 Wujal Wujal 76 Yarrabah 80 Community Summary 84 Summary of Alcohol Restrictions 90 Notes to Accompany Data 91 Report Overview Report Overview This Quarterly Report on key indicators in Specifically, Child Safety Services will apply for a Queensland’s discrete Indigenous communities is for child protection order in the following circumstances: the period January to March 2009. • if parents disagree with Child Safety Services The format of this report is different. Material is about their child or young person being in need of placed in a community context to improve its protection relevance and focus. Each community section • if parents are not willing to have contact with Child contains a community profile, information about Safety Services to ensure their child or young some services and initiatives for the quarter and data person’s safety in relation to community wellbeing. As for previous reports, the six wellbeing indicators are: • if the child or young person’s protection and care needs cannot be met while they remain at home. • reported violence against people To determine any trends or patterns in these • hospital admissions due to assault indicators it is necessary to view a time series. • school attendance Statistics for the latest financial year, and latest • breaches of alcohol restrictions quarter, show only recent movement, and do not necessarily reflect long-term trends. The next • new substantiated notifications of harm quarterly report will coincide with the end of the • new finalised child protection orders. 2008/09 financial year and will enable better The report will develop over time. The Ministerial comparisons. However, for the most recent complete Indigenous Roundtable in December 2008 agreed financial year (2007/08), compared with the previous there was a need to improve access to, and use year (2006/07): of, data at a local level. A working group has been • the rate of hospital admissions for assault established which will work with communities to decreased considerably in Doomadgee (27.4 to identify locally collected data and information that 14.6 per 1,000 people); Mapoon (15.6 to 3.8 per could complement the Quarterly Report’s picture 1,000), and the Northern Peninsula Area (9.8 to 4.1 of wellbeing in communities as well as qualitative per 1,000) feedback on changes to data over time. • the rate of reported offences against the person Statistical summary decreased considerably in Napranum (55.1 to 39.3 Statistics presented in this report now show rates per 1,000 people), Woorabinda (140.5 to 101.4 per in relation to the six indicators for each community, 1,000) and Yarrabah (80.5 to 69.3 per 1,000). by financial year, as well as raw counts for the most Over the short-term, relative decreases in the recent five quarters (for hospital admissions for number of hospital admissions for assault for the assault, reported offences against the person, and March quarter 2009 (compared with the previous charges for breaching alcohol carriage restrictions). two quarters) were recorded for Doomadgee, Hope Average school attendance rates are presented Vale, and Yarrabah. Wujal Wujal has remained stable across school terms. with no admissions for this quarter or the previous Two child protection indicators are presented: two. There have been small numbers of hospital substantiated notifications of harm and finalised admissions for assault in Lockhart River after three child protection orders. A substantiated notification of quarters of no admissions for assault. harm arises when an investigation and assessment In addition, the number of reported offences against undertaken by Child Safety Services finds that a child the person (which can include homicide, assaults, has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed in the sexual assaults) decreased in the March quarter future. 2009 (compared with the previous two quarters) in In some cases where a child has been harmed or is Doomadgee and Kowanyama. Mapoon has recorded at unacceptable risk of being harmed and does not no reported offences for this quarter or last quarter. have a guardian able to and willing to protect them, Increases were, however, recorded in Cherbourg, Child Safety Services will apply to the Children’s Coen, Pormpuraaw, and Yarrabah. Although there Court for a child protection order. was a slight decrease in the number of reported 4 January - March 2009 Quarterly report on key indicators in Queensland’s discrete Indigenous communities offences against the person in Woorabinda, the Appreciation Project; the work of Community Justice counts in each of the last two quarters are high Groups in the court system; and the establishment of compared with the three quarters before that. safe houses in a number of communities. Many communities also recorded a decrease in Particular mention is made of the Cape York Welfare the number of charges resulting in a conviction Reform and Alcohol Reform activities due to the level for breaches of alcohol carriage restrictions in the of investment and anticipated impact from these March quarter 2009 (compared with the previous initiatives. From 2008, new health and diversionary two quarters): Aurukun, Hope Vale, Kowanyama, services have been implemented to support Lockhart River, Mornington Island, Napranum, Wujal communities with alcohol restrictions. The report Wujal, and Yarrabah. Doomadgee, Pormpuraaw provides information for each community on alcohol- and Woorabinda all experienced a reduction of only related service activity in the quarter. one count from the December quarter. However, the A growing sense of confidence in the Cape York December quarter also showed a more substantial Welfare Reform trial is being reported. This includes decrease from the September quarter. the Family Responsibilities Commission which has Showing some improvement were the average rates referred clients to support services for assistance of school attendance in term one 2009, compared with anger management, alcohol treatment, family with term one 2008. These increased in Aurukun, violence, parenting programs and Men’s and Cherbourg, Coen, Hope Vale, Mapoon, Mornington Women’s Groups. Island, Palm Island, Pormpuraaw, and Wujal Wujal. Community involvement is key and is being achieved Kowanyama, Woorabinda and Yarrabah remained through the establishment of Local Program Offices stable. For the communities of Doomadgee, Lockhart and Local Implementation Committees. Both bodies River and the Northern Peninsula Area where term have local representation along with Australian one 2009 school attendance levels were lower than and Queensland Governments and Cape regional term one 2008, they were still higher than for terms representation and have a direct influence on two, three and four 2008. (Comparative data are not service delivery. The leadership of the local Family available for term one 2008 for Mossman Gorge or Responsibilities Commissioners is also growing Napranum.) in each of the four communities (Aurukun, Coen, Child safety data are presented for the quarter Hope Vale, Mossman Gorge) and they are working January to March 2009; however, child safety data collaboratively with service providers to address are unavailable as a time series for this report. client needs and community issues. Improvements to the centralised collection of data will As current services and initiatives are upgraded, enable time series reporting from 2010. or new ones introduced, such services become Services and initiatives ‘ongoing’ as the enhancement of service delivery Information in relation to services and initiatives is reaches its anticipated level. reported by community where specific activity can It is expected that the broader and ongoing initiatives be provided for the quarter. There is a wide range will be captured in the Closing the Gap annual report, of activity in the communities including: education, which will describe the impact such initiatives are employment and training; health, especially in relation having in urban, regional and remote Queensland, to children’s hearing and young mothers; sport and as well as in relation to the discrete Indigenous recreation; and Men’s and Women’s Groups. communities. It is acknowledged that a number of government agencies’ initiatives are longer term and are delivered at a state or regional level and therefore it can be difficult to provide community-specific information or to update such material on a quarterly basis. This would include initiatives such as: the Department of Education and Training’s Bound for Success program; the Queensland Police Service’s Cultural 5 January - March 2009 Quarterly report on key indicators in Queensland’s discrete Indigenous communities Aurukun C Moonlight Andoom OMALCO Cox RL Y RIVER MISSION Andoom Ck Rhum Mine Ck Point Oxmurra Myall Napranum Bwinning Point Point See separate map for restriction details Andoomajettie Point Awonga Point Ck WEIPA Rocky Point Weipa Mine Ck A L B A T R O S S B A Y TAL B Wallaby Island appan ROAD ungo P RAAF BASE SCHERGER Ck WEIPA PENINSULA OPMEN PROHIBITED AREA VEL DE Jackson Kerr Point k Chann C el Gonbung Point PENINSULA Urquhart Point