TORRES SHIRE COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT | 2014 to 2015 To lead, provide & facilitate Torres Shire Council 68 Douglas Street (PO BOX 171) Thursday Island, QLD 4875 Ph: (07 4069 1336) Fax: (07 4069 1845) Disclaimer: Torres Shire Council advises that this publication may contain images of information of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Torres Shire Council Annual Report 2014 - 2015 INDEX 04. Introduction 18. Our Councillors 05. The Torres Strait 21. Advisory Committees 06. History 22. Councillors’ Remuneration 08. Torres Shire in Brief 23. Council Meetings & Attendances 09. Torres Shire 24. Organisation Chart 11. Strategic Direction 25. Executive Management Team 12. Partnerships 26. Corporate Governance 13. Contacting the Council 29. Statistics & Other Information 14. Report from the Mayor 30. Community Snapshots 16. Chief Executive Officer’s Report 35. Community Financial Report APPENDICES APPENDIX 3 APPENDIX 1 Current Year Financial 43. Financial Statements 91. Sustainability Report APPENDIX 4 APPENDIX 2 Current Year Financial 90. Independent Auditor’s Report 93. Sustainability Audit Report Page 3 for adoption at a Council Meeting prior to INTRODUCTION 30th November in the year after the end of the financial year to which the report relates. This Torres Shire Council Annual Report provides an account of the organisation’s performance, activities and other information for the financial year from 1 July 2014 to 30 COPIES June 2015 Objectives and strategies addressed in this The Annual Report shows transparency in Annual Report are contained in the Torres accountability for all financial and operational Shire Council 2014-2018 Corporate Plan. performances throughout the year and contains important information for Residents Copies of both the Corporate Plan and this and Ratepayers, Councillors and Staff, Annual Report are available from: community groups, government, developers / investors and other interested parties, Torres Shire Council, on operations, achievements, challenges, 68 Douglas Street, Thursday Island culture, purposes and plans for the future. Postal address – P O Box 171, Thursday Island Qld 4875 Torres Shire Council is strongly committed Email - [email protected] to serving the community and provides this Website - www.torres.qld.gov.au Annual Report in accordance with the Local Government Act 2009. FEEDBACK LEGISLATION Feedback and suggestions for any improvement to this Annual Report are Under the Local Government Act 2009, a welcomed and maybe emailed to admin@ local government must prepare an Annual torres.qld.gov.au or by phone call to the Report for each financial year which is from Chief Executive Officer on Telephone (07) 1st July to 30th June. The report must be 4069 1336. presented to the Local Government Council Bayo Beach, Thursday Island Page 4 Torres Shire Council Annual Report 2014 - 2015 THE TORRES STRAIT The Torres Strait islands, of more than a hundred islands, traditionally known as Zenadth Kes, are divided into: • Gudha Maluilgal - Boigu; Dauan and Saibai Islands • Muluilgal - Badu; Mabuiag and Moa Islands • Kulkulgal - Iama (Yam Is); Warraber (Sue Is); Poruma (Coconut Is) & Masig (Yorke Is) • Meriam - Mer (Murray Is); Erub (Darnley Is) and Ugar (Stephen Is) • Kaiwalagal - Waibene (Thursday Is); Ngurupai (Horn Is); Kirriri (Hammond Is); Muralug (Prince of Wales Is); Gealug (Friday Is); Mawai (Wednesday Is), Palilug (Goode Is) There are three dialects spoken within the three groups of islands, predominated by the ‘creole’ language that emerged after the arrival of the missionaries: • Kala Kawa Ya (Top Western and Western group) • Kala Lagau Ya (Central group) • Meriam (Eastern group) The Torres Strait is home of the First Nation Indigenous People of Australia - Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginals. The Torres Strait islands are part of the State of Queensland, Australia and the islands of Boigu, Dauan and Saibai are within an active international border where the neighbouring country of Papua New Guinea is visible from those islands’ shorelines. The issues of Customs, Quarantine, Immigration and Defence are administered from Thursday Island within a Treaty that also maintains traditional cultural and trade ties between Papua New Guinea and the people of the Torres Strait. Page 5 HISTORY Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginals occupied the Torres Strait during a period when the celistial tides provided a bridge between Papua New Guinea and Australia over 40,000 years ago. The first place of permanent European settlement in Torres Strait was Somerset, south-east on the tip of Cape York Peninsula and was ocupied from 1863 to 1877. On account of the hazardous tidal channel between Somerset and Albany Island, the settlement was moved to Port Kennedy – Thursday Island - where the harbour was considered safe and with a deep anchorage for the increasing shipping movements of the Pacific traders and the Christian missionaries throughout the Torres Strait. Also with the discovery of pearl shell in the 1860’s this led to the influx of Japanese, Malays, Filipinos, Micronesian and European nationalities to this region. Customs House, Thursday Island Built 1938 Green Hill Fort Cannon, Thursday Island Pearling Lugger Pearl Shells on the Thursday Island Wharf 1958 Page 6 Torres Shire Council Annual Report 2014 - 2015 HISTORY (CONT’D) The London Missionary Society (LMS) landed on Darnley Island on July 1, 1871 and introduced christianity for the first time to its Torres Strait Islander inhabitants. The date of July 1 is recognised as the “Coming of the Light” and is commemorated annually throughout the Torres Strait. It is a Torres Shire gazetted bank holiday each year. The customary lores that still regulate the practices and customs of today’s traditional and contemporary Torres Strait culture is evident in the continual struggle for greater autonomy by the islanders which dates back to when Luis Vaes De Torres, the first Spanish navigator discovered the Strait. In 1770 Captain James Cook made claim to the east coast of Australia, on Possession Island, in the name of the King of England, the British Crown under international award of terra nullius. This concept was overturned by the Mabo High Court Decision on 3 June 1992 and for this reason this date is now commemorated as Mabo Day – a Torres Shire gazetted bank holiday. The inaugral Island Council Meeting at Masig in August 1937 set about the revival of the need to establish the prominancy of Torres Strait Islanders in Queensland and Local Government on the outer islands which would set a precedent for the Town Council on Thursday Island. The first migration of outer-island tribal group to Thursday Island occurred around the period of 1930 to form Tamwoy Reserve community under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act. Sunrise from Lion’s Lookout, Thursday Island Wind Turbines on Milman Hill, All Soul’s Quetta Memorial Sea Swift Barges in the Thursday Island Cathedral, Thursday Island Thursday Island Harbour Page 7 TORRES SHIRE IN BRIEF • Torres Shire consists of Waibene (Thursday Island); Ngurupai (Horn Island); Gealug (Friday Island); Mawai (Wednesday Island); Muralug (Prince of Wales Island) and Palilug (Goode Island) and areas of the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) of Cape York. • Torres Shire is the northern most Shire in Queensland and is located in a Special Commonwealth Territory of Australia with an international border from the coast line of Western Province in Papua New Guinea down to the 11th degree parallel crossing the Cape York Peninsula at the Jardine River. • Torres Shire is the northern most administration centre for the Commonwealth and State Governments based on Thursday Island. • Torres Shire has a population of approximately 4,600 with a transient number of residents working in education, police, ambulance, medical, customs, recreation, travel and administrative needs based on Waibene and Ngurupai. • The Horn Island International Airport is owned and operated by Torres Shire Council. Ken Brown Oval, Thursday Island Engineers Wharf Pontoon, Thursday Island Victoria Parade Foreshore, Thursday Island Pink Bougainvillea Page 8 Torres Shire Council Annual Report 2014 - 2015 TORRES SHIRE THURSDAY ISLAND Thursday Island, also known as Waibene and central to the Kaurareg Archipeligo, is approx., 3.5 square kilometres. The administration centre of the Torres Shire is based on Thursday Island. After almost 40 years of administration by a State Government Administrator the Torres Shire Council was restored to elected Council status in March 1991 and is now administered by a mainstream local authority Council comprising a Mayor and four Councillors. Torres Shire Council has established an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) with the Kaurareg Traditional Owners on specific aspects of its development and is covered by Native Title. All commercial activities and social services are generated from Thursday Island. The majority of the business centre is located on Douglas Street where there are hotels, a motel, food takeaways, numerous retail shops including a chemist, newsagency, grocers and bakery, Council Chambers, Australia Post and agent for Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Bank of Australia, Queensland Public Health Centre & Dental Clinic, Police Station, Court House, a hostel, taxi ranks and residences. Other facilities of the Federal and State Governments maintaining services on Thursday Island include Immigration, Customs, Foreign Affairs & Trade, Fire & Rescue Services, Queensland Ambulance and the