MINUTES OF THE ORDINARY MEETING OF THE TORRES SHIRE COUNCIL HELD IN THE SHIRE OFFICES, DOUGLAS STREET, THURSDAY ISLAND ON TUESDAY, 21 MARCH 2017 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PRESENT Mayor Vonda Malone (Chair), Deputy Mayor Yen Loban, Cr. John Abednego, Cr. Gabriel Bani, Cr. Thomas Loban, Andrew Brown (Director Corporate and Community Services), Keith Yorkston (Director Engineering and Infrastructure Services) William Cuthbertson and Nola Ward Page (Minute Secretary) The meeting opened with a prayer by Cr. Bani at 9.10am. Note: The Chief Executive Officer Dalassa Yorkston will arrive later in the morning. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Mayor acknowledged the traditional owners of the Kaurareg people and all Torres Strait island elders both past and present. CONDOLENCES As a mark of respect, Council observed a minute’s silence in memory of: Mrs Agnes Fox Mr Warren Hughes (Cairns) Mayor Malone offered condolences, acknowledgement and respect to the late Mrs Agnes Fox and the families of Mrs Fox and stated Mrs Fox was a well- respected and highly acclaimed former elected leader of our Shire. Her massive contribution over the years has enabled considerable improvements in services for our communities. Cr. Abednego acknowledged the achievements of the late Mrs Agnes Fox as a strong advocate as a former Councillor for Torres Shire Council especially representing Horn Island community in health and education matters during her terms of office. DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST UNDER THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT – Mayor Vonda Malone and Councillor Thomas Loban Engineering & Infrastructure Services Section 3 Item 3.12 - TI Hospital Dialysis Unit - Proposed Expansion Cr. John Abednego In Committee Finance - Aged Debtors CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES - deferred to later in the meeting BUSINESS ARISING AND MATTERS FOR ACTION FROM PREVIOUS MEETING – The Mayor requested a community update on current dam level and water restrictions and to publicise for community information. COUNCIL MINUTES ORDINARY MEETING 21 MARCH 2017 1 REPORT FROM MAYOR Acknowledgement to the traditional owners of Kaiwalagal and of the Torres Strait & elders past & present Department Of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnership (DATSIP) – 1 March, 2017 Regular dialogue has now been established with DATSIP to progress long-term tenure issues for the Torres Shire area. The meeting with Allen Cunneen, Deputy Director-General and Joanne Bryant of DATSIP covering: Ken Brown Oval – reconfiguration of boundaries Tamwoy Basketball Courts – reconfiguration of boundaries Horn Island Affordable Housing Project (HIAHP) - Council submission to the Department of Natural Resource and Mines (DNRM) is at assessment stage with an outcome to be forthcoming. DATSIP will work with Council to start the consultation, master planning and housing design process so HIAHP is at stage ready to be funded, should housing funding become available. 156 Douglas Street – potential future use Department of Natural Resources and Mines dealings with 41/43 Loban Road TRAWQ State Reserves – provided overview on 99 year lease verses rural and residential lease options for tenancy. Further exploration and follow up required. TSC Planning Scheme – press release being developed advising of the start of the process and that the draft scheme will be available by the end of 2017. Orlando Hall – general operations TSC Community Capacity Statement and Indigenous Employment Opportunity Plan for Star of the Sea redevelopment – DATSIP is pleased with the reformatted statement and sought signed off so the document can be utilised for pressing negotiations with Star of the Sea contractors and other looming works to embedd the Indigenous Employment Opportunity Plan (IEOP). Monthly meetings with DATSIP will ensure Council matters are progressed and regularly monitored. Torres Strait Employment and Training Committee Meeting – 2 March, 2017 DATSIP facilitated the Torres Strait Employment and Training Committee Meeting providing key stakeholders the forum to identify and maximise opportunities for people within the Torres Strait region with educational, employment and training pathways. Representatives were keen to focus on providing more opportunities locally, building true capacity to grow our own. Topic of discussion included: DATSIP programmes including the Youth Employment Program targeted at support for senior students, the role of Technical Working Group and Torres Strait Community Capacity Statement to enhance local business opportunities. TSC – council projects/update – including Works4Qld Projects TSIRC – council projects/update – including Works4Qld Projects Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) – program updates, CDP & Funding Incentives/Grants TSRA – program updates and activities My Pathway – CDP Activity Update One Way Solutions – Business update by David Ahboo insight on the NPA model of maximising the Indigenous Employment Opportunity Plan (IEOP) past 20% employment outcome. DET – initiatives currently available COUNCIL MINUTES ORDINARY MEETING 21 MARCH 2017 2 REPORT FROM MAYOR (cont’d) Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (The Royal Commission) – 6 March, 2017 Met with Nici Wilson and Edie Coe from The Royal Commission along with Ivy Trevallion and MacRose Elu who are part of the advisory group. The purpose of the meet was to get an understanding of the Royal Commission and to for the group to seek guidance, advice and support about the proposed Torres Strait engagement. The Royal Commission has been operational for the past 4 years and was initiated by the former Gillard Government. Over that period, it has worked with many communities with the aim of creating a safer future for children. The Royal Commission’s work has, to date, included over 6400 private sessions with individual survivors of child sexual abuse, 50 public hearings into particular institutions or policy issues, and consultation processes such as community meetings and policy roundtables. The Royal Commission wants to ensure that key organisations, their clients and community members have the opportunity to provide valuable insights to help with the scope of work. The final report will be presented to government at the end of 2017. Upon completion of the initial engagement process it is planned that on 6-7 April, 2017 two Royal Commissioners (Commissioner Helen Milroy and Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald) will hold a Community Forum(s) on Thursday Island to discuss issues associated with the work of the Royal Commission with community leaders, support services and community members. Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Relay Baton Announcement – 7 March, 2017 Torres Shire announced that it will host the 2018 Commonwealth Games Queens Baton Relay and boast to be the first Queensland town to receive the baton. The baton will arrive in the Shire on 3 March, 2018 and will continue onto TSIRC jurisdiction of Hammond Island. Members of the community are encouraged to nominate to be a baton bearer with nominations open till 15 May, 2017. The baton started its global journey at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day on 13 March, 2017. Horn Island Airport Masterplan Consultation – 7 March, 2017 PDR consultants facilitated consultation over the past weeks with stakeholders and community members on the proposed Horn Island Airport Masterplan. The draft plan will guide the future development of the Horn Island Airport. A number of matters were put forward specifically around ensuring that the current statistics and future usage it accurately detailed also reflecting potential growth/expansion of the current precinct including allowances for defined baggage claim area and parking for easier traffic flow. Malil Forward Steel TSI Corporation – 7 March, 2017 Barbara Ibuai, Vice President, elder Patrick Whop, President and Flora Warria have formed a working group to establish the Malil Forward Steel TSI Corporation. The working group is specifically focused on holding a commemorative celebration next year to mark 50 years and give due recognition to the hundreds of Torres Strait Islanders who made significant contribution to the establishment of the railway system in Western Australia. As part of the commemorative project the working group is: Finalising registration of the corporation with the Office of Aboriginal Corporations (ORIC) so that they can be eligible to apply for grants to support the project. Seeking Council support to allocate a suitable site on the esplanade for the erection of the bronze plaque. Produce a documentary to capture the stories of the railway men. The 50th anniversary falls on 8 May 2018, however to allow sufficient time to acquire support the advisory group proposes to hold the event in September 2018. COUNCIL MINUTES ORDINARY MEETING 21 MARCH 2017 3 REPORT FROM MAYOR (cont’d) Community Cabinet Meeting, 13 March, 2017 An urgent community cabinet was called in Cairns by the Palaszuck government to host a full cabinet meeting with respective Mayors of Indigenous communities. The short notice left all Councils limited time to prepare for discussion. Prior to the Cabinet meeting Mayors were able to first formally meet the newly appointed Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnership, the Hon. Mark Furner and provide an overview of the key issues affected by Councils. Minister Furner made a commitment to host regular meetings with Mayors and the Indigenous Leaders Forum (ILF) to keep abreast of