Indigenous

The Victoria Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas visited the Belar Nursery and Bioculture Resources Centre to announce the Labor Government’s $2 million Djakitjuk Djanga Program in partnership with the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations ... The Djakitjuk Djanga Program has supported 13 Aboriginal native plant businesses to overcome key resource-related barriers towards the commercial production of native foods and botanicals.

Two new guides, 'Setting up for success: Bushfoods' and 'Protection of Indigenous Ecological Knowledge for Bushfood Businesses', highlight the risks and opportunities for Aboriginal businesses, as well as promoting best practices for industry.

The bulk of this commentary has little to do with the content of the Report to the NSW Natural Resources Commission. The report addresses the consequences of the 2019/20 fires for the objectives and outcomes of the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals (i.e. forest health, threatened species conservation, water quality and aquatic biodiversity). The 2019/20 fires have rendered forests, in relation to these objectives and outcomes, in a highly vulnerable state because of their magnitude and severity. This vulnerability will be ongoing and challenging to deal with because the efficacy of all facets of fire management (e.g. preparation, prevention, suppression) will be adversely affected by climate change.

New infrastructure at a Central Australian conservation reserve will help protect prehistoric Aboriginal rock engravings and enhance visitor safety to the site. The new viewing platform and boardwalk at Napwerte/Ewaninga south of Alice Springs, enables visitors to have an optimal view of the petroglyphs which date back around 30,000 years, while preventing inadvertent damage to the works by visitors.

A company's grand plans to launch rockets and satellites from Cape York will be revealed in Weipa this month. Space Centre Australia hopes to start construction of its facility in 2023 and be launching rockets by the start of 2025. Director James Palmer said preliminary discussions between SCA and Traditional Owners had been progressing well and hoped this month’s trip would result in further community consultation.

Kirstin Nicholson. Cohuna Neighbourhood House treated 28 people to a ‘Bush Bash Tour’ as part of the Victorian Seniors Festival ... Local Aboriginal elder, Aunty Esther Kirby, explained the historical significance of the Gunbower Forest to the local Aboriginal people and discussed items of cultural significance.

People proliferated across Australia, which was then a part of Sahul, from about 40 000 years ago when megafauna finally disappeared long before the Last Glacial Maximum. Aboriginal burning initially turned much biomass into charcoal, reducing browse, changing vegetation and causing megafaunal extinctions. It created ecosystems whose health and safety depend on constant human input of mild fire.

Narrandera Shire Council rejected its own DA for the State-listed heritage lattice railway bridge project at the October Council meeting. The DA provided for the conversion of the bridge to a pedestrian bridge as part of the State Gov't-funded Playground on the Murrumbidgee project ... The converted bridge was to have been added to the town’s bike and hike trail enabling locals and visitors to cycle and/or walk along the bridge from the northern side.

Join us for the annual celebration of all things art, culture and entertainment.

Aurukun mayor Keri Tamwoy was a little emotional at the opening of the town’s new airport terminal last week, paying tribute to her late mother Alison Woolla, of whom the passenger lounge was named in her honour ... Local builder Cameron Herbert is thrilled with the final product ... Mr Herbert makes his own concrete, the only one to do so in Aurukun, and said he was thrilled he could use locals to help with construction.

A partnership between the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation and a major bank has helped preserve Cape York country and employ a number of Traditional Owners. As part of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s carbon neutrality, the bank supports traditional Aboriginal fire management generating Australian Carbon Credit Units for the second year running.

The Napranum Bulldogs will dust off the cobwebs this weekend when they play their first competitive game for two years at the Gordonvale Indigenous Rugby League Carnival. With no organised competition in Cape York this year and COVID-19 killing off games in 2020, the Bulldogs have been training for a long time to prepare for a string of carnivals.

The Northern Australia Committee has tabled the final report of its  Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.  The report follows on from the work of the Committee’s interim report  Never Again  tabled on the 9 December 2020.

Mark Knowles. A Forum in Cairns last week highlighted the need to improve disaster resilience in Cape York and the Torres Strait. Organised by the Torres Cape Indigenous Council Alliance, the forum connected local councils, key government agencies, critical service providers, and non-government organisations from across North Queensland in order to improve disaster preparedness.

In many ways this captivating book describes the relationship between the author, Lachlan Hughson, and his much loved Australian Outback. In travels rivalling those of Odysseus in extent, the author takes us across the vast expanse of the ancient Australian continent, mixing geological insights, historical background, and personal experiences with vivid descriptions of nature in all its forms.

News that Tennant Creek’s only gym is set to close at the end of the year has local fitness and wellbeing fans up in arms. Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation’s Sports and Recreation Centre announced it will shut its doors permanently on 24 December ... “Anyinginyi has been at the heart of sport and recreation in Tennant Creek for most of its 37-year history”: CEO Barb Shaw.

Bendigo’s Telstra Exchange building and neighbouring Bendigo Creek will be transformed in early November with the spectacular night time display Djaara Lights, featuring neon artworks, street art and digital experiences telling stories from Dja Dja Wurrung People.