2025

Yule River Bush Meeting 2025

Posted: May 27th, 2025

The 10^th annual On-Country Yule River Bush Meeting will be held on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 July at the Yule River Meeting Place.

The Yule River Bush Meeting brings together First Nations peoples from across the Pilbara to discuss and address key issues affecting community – with each other, industry, and government.

Last year’s meeting resulted in the release of the 2024 Yule River Call to Action and Solutions Roadmap. The document calls on Government at every level to address priorities in systemic reform, education, health, housing, wellbeing, and community safety, with links to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

This year, Yule River will focus on progressing the Call the Action, and the preferred community models on the Call to Action Working Group, to keep advocate for progress and ensure government works together with community to achieve real and sustainable solutions and Close the Gap.

Day one is for Pilbara First Nations peoples, Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBCs), Aboriginal Corporations and their staff only, while day two will include presentations to and from invited guests from local, State and Federal governments, including WA Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Hon Don Punch.

Pilbara First Nations organisations and other agencies, including some Government agencies on day two, will also be present with information stalls raising awareness and sharing information on their services.

More details will follow. For updates, visit the Yule River event page.

Carnarvon Community Workshop – Have Your Say on Yamatji On-Country 2025

Posted: May 16th, 2025

Date: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm
Location: Carnarvon Motel, Carnarvon WA

This year YMAC’s Yamatji Regional Committee are taking on a new approach to the annual Yamatji On-Country event and will be holding a series of community consultation workshops across the region in the lead up to the event.

This first workshop in Carnarvon is your chance to be part of the conversation and ensure your voice helps shape the 2025 On-Country gathering in September.

We’ll be talking about the key issues raised in the 2024 Call to Action, including:

• Systemic Change
• Housing & Accommodation
• Police & Justice
• Employment, Training & Economic Development
• Racism
• Education
• Health & Wellbeing

Check out the Yamatji on-Country website page for more information here

Closing the Gap – Have your say!

Posted: March 26th, 2025

Have your say on the implementation of Closing the Gap, through the Independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led Review.

This independent review provides an opportunity for First Nations people to share their experiences of the implementation process of the Closing the Gap agreement.

Through a national survey, a national submission process, intensive forums, stakeholder interviews, and an in-person assembly, First Nations people are invited to share their lived experience, success stories, and ideas for building momentum for Closing the Gap.

The Independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led Review of Closing the Gap takes place after the Productivity Commission Review, which recently revealed government failure in addressing the issues faced by Aboriginal communities. After this year’s Productivity Commission Review, YMAC called on the State Government to urgently address the requests from Traditional Owners in the Pilbara and Yamatji regions, which are outlined both the 2024 Yule River Call to Action and Solutions Roadmap, and the 2024 Yamatji On-Country Call to Action.

Both of these documents are directly tied to the Closing the Gap Outcomes.

The Independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led Review of Closing the Gap is being conducted by the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research. The national survey and submission process is now open, with both closing on 16 April 2025.

To complete the survey and find out how else you can get involved, visit the Coalition of Peaks website.

Experience Tjaabi – Flood Country

Posted: March 24th, 2025

The Joondalup Festival is bringing stories and sounds from the Pilbara to Perth through Tjaabi – Flood Country, a celebration of Country and culture through immersive theatre, music, spoken word, and animation. With performances at Padbury Hall this Friday, 28 and Saturday, 29 March, get your tickets ($11-$19) via the Joondalup Festival website.

A tjaabi is a form of song unique to the Pilbara region, capturing stories, dreams, thoughts, and moments. Each song is sung by a particular person and relevant to a particular place, handed down through the generations.

Led by Ngarluma man Patrick Churnside, Tjaabi – Flood Country explores the many cultural and ecological pressures facing Aboriginal people in the Pilbara. A gifted storyteller, Patrick shares his life story through music, narrative, and humour. He grew up with the tjaabi song tradition; his grandfather Bob Churnside one of the West Pilbara’s most renowned singers. In Tjaabi – Flood Country, Patrick shares his own story of growing up the Pilbara, the lineage of cultural knowledge, contemporary relevance of Indigenous ecologies, working on Country, and the power of Ngarluma language.

“Tjaabi has become one of my passions and life’s work,” Patrick said. “I pour my heart into it, researching, learning and performing. Through my commitment to awakening and sharing tjaabi in this innovative intercultural project, I hope understanding and reconciliation will grow, greater awareness of country and stronger song, story and culture.”

For those in other parts of the state, the performance will also be touring later in the year:

• Cockburn – Sunday, 6 July
• Geraldton – Friday, 11 July
• Beverley – Wednesday, 16 July
• Harvey – Saturday, 19 July
• Margaret River – Saturday, 26 and Sunday, 27 July
• Port Hedland – Sunday, 16 November
• Karratha – Friday, 21 and Saturday, 22 November

Find out more about Tjaabi – Flood Country on the Big hART website.

Photo: Leith Alexander

YMAC’s New Strategic Plan – Have Your Say!

Posted: March 7th, 2025

Throughout 2025, Think Culture is supporting YMAC with consultation and the development of a new strategic plan for 2026 – 2030.

Think Culture is currently inviting people and organisations connected to YMAC’s work in our Yamatji and Marlpa regions to contribute their thoughts and ideas in this process by completing the online survey.

YMAC is committed to creating a plan that meets the current and future needs and aspirations in our regions, while also fulfilling our governance and native title representative body (NTRB) responsibilities for these areas.

Scan QR code in our flyer below or please click here to complete a survey. Survey closes 30 April.  

Do you want to have your say on the services available for Aboriginal people in Geraldton?

Posted: February 20th, 2025

The Midwest Aboriginal Organisations Alliance (MAOA)  – of which YMAC is a member – want to hear from all Aboriginal people in Geraldton about the services that you may use. Are they doing a good job? Can you access those services? Are there any services you need that aren’t already in Geraldton?

If you are interested in having a say, you can join MAOA at one of two community meetings being held in Geraldton on 25 and 26 February,  See flyer below to learn more.

CSIRO internal Indigenous Research Grants opening soon

Posted: February 3rd, 2025

Applications for CSIRO’s internal Indigenous research grants will be opening on 24 February 2025.

There are four grant categories available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities, and organisations, designed to champion Indigenous-led research for the empowerment of community. These categories support a range of projects, from planning to large scale projects, with preference given to medium and large-scale proposals with a 50% co-contribution.

CSIRO research areas and programs include:

• The Living STEM Initiative – connecting Indigenous knowledge to the classroom
• Water – mine-dewater assessment and evaluation for cultural use and benefits
• Addressing the energy transition challenge – overcoming environmental issues such as carbon emission
• Critical minerals – consider historical abandoned mine shafts and mine dumps on Country.

CSIRO also offers research and development support for start-ups and small business, including matched funding of $10,000 – $50,000. Find out more on the CSIRO website.

For more information and to apply, contact Humera Rind at humera.rind@csiro.au or on 0472 793 522.

Badimia Guwaga First Nations Language Project launches with community workshops

Posted: January 31st, 2025

The Badimia Guwaga Team – including the Bundiyarra-Irra Wangga Language Centre, Badimia community members, and linguist Dr James Bednall – have been awarded a $300,810 grant from the Department of Education for the Badimia Guwaga First Nations Language Project.

In partnership with Mount Magnet District High School, the project aims to foster the use of Badimia language in community and assist with the intergenerational transfer of language and culture among Badimia people. The project is led and directed in consultation with Badimia Elders, organisations, and community, with this recent funding expanding an existing online Badimia language learning portal.

Five trainee educators from the local community will receive comprehensive training in Badimia language, with the aim of participating in classroom teaching at Mount Magnet District High School, as well as leading on-Country activities in partnership with the school. This training will bring the educators in line with the Department of Education’s Aboriginal Language Teacher Training.

In-person activities will also be held on-Country for members of the Badimia community, as well as online opportunities for those off-Country.

This project is entirely driven by the Badimia people and carries on the legacy of the late Gami Ollie George. It also aligns with the Yamatji on-Country 2024 Education Call to Action from young people across the region who have called for an opportunity to learn about culture from a young age, as well as language education in both primary and high school so that language can be passed through the generations.

To kick off this exciting program, a series of community workshops will be held from Thursday, 27 February to Sunday, 2 March 2025, in Mount Magnet. To find out more, download the Badimia Community Language Workshop Flyer.

Read more about the Yamatji on-Country Call to Action here.

Managing fire with the Desert Habitat Method

Posted: January 13th, 2025

Nyangumarta Rangers and Traditional Owners, with the Indigenous Desert Alliance, are managing traditional desert fire methods with modern technology using a new tool.

The Desert Habitat Method (DHM) is a transparent measurement tool which can help rangers to plan, track, and improve their work; explain their work to others, including Elders, community members, and stakeholders; report their work to funders; and encourage potential new funders to see the value of supporting their work. This method focuses on fire management, and is a way to measure the outcomes of right way fire on habitat for native animals.

The DHM is currently in the testing phase, with two on-Country workshops held in 2024 bringing together rangers, Elders, and Traditional Owners to work through the new tool, ensuring it will work effectively. Two trials are also planned to be held in 2025.

The project is supported by funding from the Australian Government’s Innovative Biodiversity Monitoring Program.

Watch this short film from the Indigenous Desert Alliance, Nyangumarta Wika Muwarr, about the recent workshop with Nyangumarta rangers and Traditional Owners, where they share their story of connecting ancient fire management with modern tools.

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Images by Salty Davenport