COAG CROSS-SITE VISIT

Rex Tjami, Director of APY Land Council, and Mary Anderson, Anangu Coordinator of PY Media, attended the COAG Cross-Site Visit from the 19th to the 22nd of July in Cape York (John Singer of Nganampa Health was also invited but could not attend.). The trip was organised for people who work on COAG sites throughout Australia. Representatives from each site were chosen to attend. On this trip, there were representatives from the APY Lands, from Wadeye (Port Keats), from Murdi Paaki, from the east Kimberly, and representatives from the COAG task force office. A representative from Cape York Institute and from Balanku attended.

The participants in this conference met with Noel Pearson from the Cape York Institute and founder of many of the programs carried out by Aboriginal Organisations on Cape York.

The program included:presentations by each of the Cape York organisations and visits to three communities:

Napranum Community

• Cape York Digital Network
• Justice Group
• Other Community Groups

Aurukun Community

• Cape York Digital Network
• Family Income Management
• Alcohol Management Plan
• Other Community Groups

Coen Community

• Family Income Management
• Business Hubs
• Computer Culture
• Cape York Digital Network
• Land and Sea Management
• Visit Outstations
• Other Community Groups

At the end, the APY representatives found the experience to be very worthwhile. The people in Cape York have a vision. They know where they are going. People on the Lands need to develop the same long range vision, to be able to plan for the future, to go beyond worrying about today and tomorrow.

Additional Photographs