Carpentaria Shire Indigenous Engagement Project

The Cairns Institute's Dr Jim Turnour supported by Indigenous engagement consultant Mr Keron Murray and Professor Marcus Foth of QUT recently completed a consultancy for the Carpentaria Shire Council (CSC). Dr Turnour said that the project was focused on strengthening Indigenous engagement in the Shire to empower local communities to improve disaster resilience.

Carpentaria Shire is a local government area located in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It has a population of 2,171 people primarily concentrated in the major centres of Normanton and Karumba (ABS, 2021). The shire covers a vast area of approximately 64,372 square kilometres and is characterised by its remote and rugged landscapes, including vast savannahs, wetlands, and river systems.

Indigenous people make up more than 50% of the population and hold statutory interests in most of the shire through native title and land interests. Traditional Owners of the shire include the Gkuthaarn, Kukatj, Kurtijar, Kowanyama and Tagalaka peoples. The main industries in the region are mining, pastoralism, fishing, tourism and government services. Most of the shire population (87.1%) are in the most disadvantaged quintile of the SEIFA Index this compares with 20% in Queensland. The Australian Disaster Resilience Index (ADRI) shows a value of 0.1660 for Carpentaria. This area is assessed as having low capacity for disaster resilience.

Through a thematic analysis informed by stakeholder mapping, literature review, community plans and four visits to Normanton involving meeting and workshops with the Indigenous communities and Council an Indigenous engagement framework and series of recommendations was developed. The thematic analysis, Indigenous engagement framework and recommendations were captured in a report for the CSC.

The recommendations include the need to:
• Establish an Indigenous Advisory Committee (IAC) and create a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
• Develop cultural protocols to respect Indigenous customs.
• Ensure Indigenous representation in disaster management and recovery plans.
• Incorporate Indigenous knowledge into disaster management strategies.
• Build disaster resilience capacity within Indigenous communities.
• Support Indigenous tourism and long-term economic development.
• Create dedicated Indigenous roles within the CSC for engagement and capacity building. 
• Continue collaboration with the Queensland Connects team on beneficial community projects.

The establishment of an Indigenous Advisory Committee and the development of a Reconciliation Action Plan were identified as a priority. The project also identified opportunities for further disaster management projects, the establishment of an Indigenous Knowledge Centre in the Carpentaria Shire, and investigating the potential to establish a Country University to further build community capacity.

The tight timeframe for consultations and reporting means that this project can only be the first step in the engagement and capacity building process. Dr Turnour and Mr Murray have since returned to the Carpentaria Shire to workshop the report with Council. Dr Turnour said, ‘Building capacity takes time, and the CSC is considering the report and the recommendations to enable it to effectively respond’.

The project was initiated as result of the Queensland Connects program, an 18-month regional entrepreneurship accelerator facilitated by Queensland University of Technology (QUT). This program, under Advance Queensland, aims to support regional innovation by addressing challenges and unlocking opportunities through collaboration among local leaders, universities, businesses, and government representatives.