Yamatji Region News

Cautious easing of social restrictions in WA

Posted: April 28th, 2020

Filed under: Indigenous Community Stories, Mid West, Pilbara, WA State Government, YMAC

Following continued low numbers of new cases of COVID-19 coronavirus in WA, from Monday 27 April 2020 some stage 3 restrictions have been relaxed. This cautious easing of restrictions will help families and friends to stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indoor and outdoor non-work gatherings of up to 10 people are now allowed at:

• weddings and funerals
• outdoor personal training (no shared equipment)
• home opens and display village inspections

If a single household has more than 10 people, that household remains exempt from this new rule. All public playgrounds, skate parks and outdoor gym equipment are to remain closed, along with other restrictions previously implemented to minimise the spread of COVID 19 in the community.

It is still very important that people follow the guidance on social distancing which includes keeping a distance of 1.5 meters from others, and minimising unnecessary contact.  WA remains in a State of Emergency and so various restrictions are still enforceable by fines.

For more information please see the media statement  and updates on the WA Government website 

Closure of Gun Shops (No 2) Direction – Aboriginal Person Entitled to Exercise a Native Title Right to Hunt

Posted: April 22nd, 2020

Statutory Declarations now available : Closure of Gun Shops (No 2) Direction – Aboriginal Person Entitled to Exercise a Native Title Right to Hunt

YMAC recently wrote to Hon Fran Logan, MLA Minister for Emergency Services and Mr Christopher Dawson, Commissioner of Police and State Emergency Commissioner, seeking further advice on how this Direction is being implemented.

Specific advice was sought with regard to how Traditional Owners can provide evidence to gun shop owners that they are “an Aboriginal Person who is entitled to exercise a native title right to hunt over particular land and waters…”.

In most native title determinations of the Federal Court of Australia, the definition of “native title holder” includes subjective components such as self-identification, and identification by the broader community.

The broader community identification is the responsibility of each determined native title group’s prescribed body corporate (PBC). It may be challenging for some PBCs to provide this written support during this period of self-isolation and travel restrictions, and therefore also challenging for Aboriginal people to obtain ammunition in accordance with this Direction.

YMAC is pleased to advise that this Statutory Declaration can now be used by native title holders, to support provision of evidence of their right to exercise native title rights. Native title holders will need to print out and complete details such as name and address, as well as which native title determination/application you are connected to. The form must also be witnessed by an ‘authorised witness’.  A copy of the letter sent to all gun shop owners by WAPOL is also included here for reference.

YMAC is interested to know if any Traditional Owners continue to experience difficulties with this issue. You can call our Perth, Geraldton or Port Hedland office numbers for assistance.

YMAC News Issue 40

Posted: April 20th, 2020

The latest issue of YMAC News is available online, to download a copy click here

ORIC Registrar’s actions to help Aboriginal Corporations during COVID-19

Posted: March 27th, 2020

The Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) is aware of the challenges posed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations during this period. They are working on temporary provisions to support your operations and governance.

The Registrar continues to operate with staff available for you to contact to help you with any questions you have regarding the operation and governance of your corporation.

The Registrar will use his unique powers and the flexibility of the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act), to help corporations manage the threats and impacts of COVID-19.

A corporation can request the Registrar exercise his power under the CATSI Act to change their rule book to include a set of special rules to assist, without needing to pass a special resolution for this purpose.

More information can be found here.

Regular updates and further information can be found here

NAIDOC WEEK HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO COVID19

Posted: March 24th, 2020

The National NAIDOC Committee (NNC) has announced that NAIDOC Week 2020 (5 July -12 July) will be postponed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This decision was made in the interests of safety for their communities after taking advice from the Federal Government, health experts, key partners and leading national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health organisations.

“We all believe that an escalating COVID-19 crisis as we head into winter would have disastrous impacts on our mob – especially for our Elders and those in our communities with chronic health issues.”

Also suspended are the 2020 NAIDOC Local Grants round, which will not be progressed.  No funding will be awarded under the round at this time.

Any information about the 2020 NAIDOC Local Grants Round re-opening will be published on the National Indigenous Australians Agency website, the Agency’s social media pages and on the NAIDOC website.

The Agency will shortly contact those who have already submitted an application. If applications are re-opened for the NAIDOC Local Grants Round you are not expected to re-apply but organisers may need to contact you once they have more information.

If you did not have the opportunity to submit your application and wish to be notified about future arrangements or opportunities to apply, please email  NAIDOCGrants@niaa.gov.au.

The National NAIDOC Awards to have been held in Alice Springs on 11 July have also be postponed. This means that the nomination process will not go ahead for now.

The NNC will keep communities updated on new dates for the above events once confirmed, but at this stage it is not known when this will be.

For more information contact the NNC here

HAVE YOUR SAY – CROWN LAND MANAGEMENT

Posted: March 17th, 2020

YMAC Land Services team and the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) are in discussion regarding the current form of management orders for Prescribed Bodies Corporate and Aboriginal Corporations.

A common type of tenure that is issued to Aboriginal people is a reserve with a management order. This does not provide land ownership but generally provides a low-cost, non-exclusive tenure option, however with onerous obligations.

YMAC Land Services would love to hear about your experiences with management orders, other land tenure and any conditions that are of particular concern, or difficult to comply with to make these known to DPLH.

If you wish to discuss this further or provide feedback, please email Kylie, Project Manager – Lands at kwilliamson@ymac.org.au or phone 0458 526 488.

SAVE THE DATE – Compensation Information Workshop – 25 March 2020

Posted: March 9th, 2020

In March 2019 the High Court of Australia made its first Native Title compensation decision.

There are many important issues to consider before filing a Native Title compensation claim including whether there are alternatives.

To assist PBCs and Native Title Holders to navigate this complex area, the National Native Title Council (NNTC) in conjunction with YMAC will be running an information workshop.

The workshop will be open to existing Prescribed Bodies Corporates (PBC) and Native Title claim groups where the Federal Court of Australia has set down their claim for a consent determination.

This first information workshop will be held at Gwoonwardu Mia located at 146 Robinson Street, Carnarvon.

To ensure everyone can participate, attendance numbers are limited to 2 people from each PBC Board and Native Title group.

To confirm who will be attending from your group, please contact Renae Jory at Rjory@ymac.org.au to register who your two representatives will be, and to make the necessary travel and accommodation arrangements by Wednesday, 18 March 2020.

Artwork Opportunity with Water Corporation

Posted: February 4th, 2020

Water Corporation is calling for Expressions Of Interest (EOI) from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to create pieces of art that reflect the importance of water and its connection to the community.

If selected, your artwork could be adapted to be used on Water Corp vehicles, buildings, uniforms, publications, websites and more.

To submit an EOI you must be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and a resident of Western Australia. You have until Friday 6 March to submit your interest.

For more information click here or contact Maddie Edwards at Maddie.edwards@watercorporation.com.au or call (08) 9420 3087.

Have Your Say on WA’s native vegetation.

Posted: January 24th, 2020

Western Australians are invited to have their say on initiatives to support improved management of the State’s native vegetation.

The Native Vegetation in Western Australia issues paper proposes four initiatives aimed at providing better protection for vegetation where it is most needed and help streamline assessment processes:

• a State Native Vegetation Policy
• better information, including mapping and monitoring
• improved regulatory processes
• a regionally-tailored approach

There are two other ways we can provide comments and feedback:

• ‘Classic’ submissions
• Online survey tool

You have until 10 February to provide feedback on the issues paper.

The consultation feedback will inform a draft policy, which is set to be released in April 2020 for further public comment. The final policy is due to be completed mid-2020.

For more information click here