Torres Cape Indigenous Council Alliance chair Mayor Territa Dick (second from left), pictured with fellow executive members Mayor Bruce Gibson and Weipa Town Authority Chair Jaime Gane, and executive officer Michael Miller, has criticised four out of the five candidates running for Cook for not engaging with the organisation, which represents every Cape York and Torres Strait local government, during the current election campaign. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
The chair of the organisation representing every Cape York and Torres Strait council has slammed candidates battling to win the seat of Cook for failing to engage during their election campaigns.
Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor Territa Dick, who chairs the Torres Cape Indigenous Council Alliance (TCICA), said she was concerned only one of the five candidates attempting to represent the vast electorate had reached out to the organisation to discuss its key issues and priorities ahead of the voters going to the polls on 26 October.
“TCICA has only been contacted by one of the five running candidates, being … Duane Amos, who has attended TCICA meetings and made himself available to have open discussions about our key issues,” Mayor Dick told Cape York Weekly.
“Although some of the members have visited communities individually, they have shown no interest in coming to TCICA as the representative body to discuss our collective concerns and priorities.”
TCICA represents 15 of the 17 Indigenous local governments in Queensland, as well as Cook Shire Council and Weipa Town Authority.
Mayor Dick said TCICA’s top issues for its member councils included housing, health and infrastructure, in addition to improving ageing water and waster assets across the region, and the establishment of a TCICA-led project to tackle recycling from local economic and environmental perspectives.
She added the organisation was calling on whichever party formed government after the election to come to the table to discuss recurring funding to help empower TCICA and allow it to build the capacity required to service the local governments it represented.
“TCICA wants to improve our relationship with the government – we want to be acknowledged as the single voice for our members, and we want to be at the table when matters that impact our communities are being discussed,” Mayor Dick said.
“TCICA wants to be able to value-add and have our input on policy and legislation that impacts us; our members have come together to show a united front and a willingness to transition from dependency to being independent, however, the government hasn’t embraced TCICA, or looked to work with or join us on our journey, as we are best placed to make things happen.
“We are the elected members of our communities and know what is or isn’t working for our mob; we are the one the government and other organisations come to for assistance in delivering services and we can see the wastage and lack of accountability around funded services.
“TCICA wants to be recognised as the one voice for our communities and be a decision maker at the table with government, as we live and breathe community each and every day of our lives.”
With voting now only 11 days away, Mayor Dick said her one question for all five candidates would relate to gauging their interest in acknowledging TCICA as the most significant representative of all Cape York and Torres Strait councils should they be elected to represent the region for the next four years.
“Our one question would be that government better acknowledge TCICA as the one voice for our members by providing better financial support and giving TCICA a seat at the decision-making table,” she said.
