The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia TORRES STRAIT ISLANDERS: A NEW DEAL A REPORT ON GREATER AUTONOMY FOR TORRES STRAIT ISLANDERS House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Affairs August 1997 Canberra Commonwealth of Australia 1997 ISBN This document was produced from camera-ready copy prepared by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and printed by AGPS Canberra. The cover was produced in the AGPS design studios. The graphic on the cover was developed from a photograph taken on Yorke/Masig Island during the Committee's visit in October 1996. CONTENTS FOREWORD ix TERMS OF REFERENCE xii MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE xiii GLOSSARY xiv SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS xv CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION REFERRAL TO COMMITTEE.......................................................................................................................................1 CONDUCT OF THE INQUIRY ......................................................................................................................................1 SCOPE OF THE REPORT.............................................................................................................................................2 PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS .................................................................................................................................3 Commonwealth-State Cooperation ....................................................................................................................3 The Need for Consultation .................................................................................................................................4 A Staged Process................................................................................................................................................5 CHAPTER 2 – SETTING THE CONTEXT INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................7 THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE TORRES STRAIT REGION ..................................................................................................7 THE PEOPLE OF THE TORRES STRAIT .......................................................................................................................8 Torres Strait Islanders........................................................................................................................................8 Aboriginals Living in the Torres Strait Region ................................................................................................10 Other Residents of the Torres Strait Region.....................................................................................................11 People from Papua New Guinea......................................................................................................................12 HISTORY OF THE REGION ...................................................................................................................................13 THE TORRES STRAIT TREATY ................................................................................................................................17 EXISTING REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS ........................................................................................................................18 Introduction......................................................................................................................................................18 Island Councils.................................................................................................................................................18 The Torres Shire Council .................................................................................................................................20 Island Coordinating Council............................................................................................................................21 Torres Strait Regional Authority......................................................................................................................24 ATSIC ...............................................................................................................................................................27 OTHER AGENCIES ..................................................................................................................................................28 COMMONWEALTH INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES FOR TORRES STRAIT ISLANDERS LIVING ON THE MAINLAND ......29 Introduction......................................................................................................................................................29 ATSIC's General Representative Structures..................................................................................................... 30 TSIAB ...............................................................................................................................................................31 OTSIA...............................................................................................................................................................32 CHAPTER 3 – AUTONOMY AND ITS BENEFITS INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................34 WHAT IS GREATER AUTONOMY? ...........................................................................................................................34 Different Meanings of Greater Autonomy........................................................................................................34 Greater Autonomy for Whom? .........................................................................................................................37 A Future Goal - Territory Status?....................................................................................................................38 THE BENEFITS OF A GREATER DEGREE OF AUTONOMY .........................................................................................40 Returning a Right to Islanders .........................................................................................................................40 Preserving Torres Strait Culture......................................................................................................................41 Taking Responsibility for Decisions.................................................................................................................42 Improving Service Delivery..............................................................................................................................43 v CHAPTER 4 – A POSSIBLE FORM OF GREATER AUTONOMY FOR THE TORRES STRAIT REGION Introduction......................................................................................................................................................45 THE NEED FOR CHANGE ........................................................................................................................................46 The need to Simplify Structures........................................................................................................................46 The Possibility of Merging the ICC and the TSRA...........................................................................................47 Meetings and Members ....................................................................................................................................48 Non Indigenous Representation and Territory Status ......................................................................................50 A REGIONAL ASSEMBLY........................................................................................................................................50 A Joint Commonwealth-Queensland Body.......................................................................................................50 Regional Assembly Representation ..................................................................................................................52 Regional Assembly Functions ..........................................................................................................................55 Regional Assembly Powers ..............................................................................................................................59 Operations in Public ........................................................................................................................................59 Local Government Functions ...........................................................................................................................60 Regional Assembly Funds ................................................................................................................................62 Regional Assembly Administration ..................................................................................................................63 A Cultural Council ...........................................................................................................................................63 Links With Torres Strait Islanders Living on the Mainland .............................................................................65 Cooperation with Queensland State Government