Four Indigenous organisations across Cape York will receive a total of $1.59 million under the Australian Government’s Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS) grant round to improve outcomes for First Australians.
The successful organisations are:
- Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council – $803,167 over three years to support the Kowanyama Remote Indigenous Broadcasting Service; for the Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council to employ two full-time sport and recreation officers to deliver sporting activities and competitions; and to Kowanyama Playgroup to provide an early childhood family support programme;
- Mapoon Aboriginal Council – $493,000 over four years to develop and resource a Playgroup that will deliver early childhood education. The funding will also allow the Playgroup to employ a Coordinator and Trainee Assistant;
- Port Kennedy Association – $152,500 over three years to deliver the Early Learning and Vacation Care Project that will provide a safe learning environment for Indigenous children from birth to 12 years;
- Northern Learning Alliance – $141,825 over three years to deliver a Digital Driver program that will provide 600 computer training placements, and 130 pre-vocational skills programme placements.
An additional $128,000 over two years has been granted to the Townsville-based Bindal Sharks United Training, Employment, Sport & Recreation Aboriginal Corporation to deliver a Women’s Leadership and Mentoring Programme. The programme will help incarcerated women from Queensland – including Cape York – to maintain their culture, and participate equally in the economic and social life of the nation.
Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion, said: “The increased investment through the grant round is the result of the Government honouring its commitment to provide longer funding agreements for important frontline services and ensure that any gaps that emerged as part of the round were filled as quickly as possible.
“This increased investment will help deliver on the Government’s key priorities of getting children to school and adults to work and making communities safer.”
Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch said the projects to be delivered by the organisations would deliver demonstrable benefits for local First Australians.
“The Indigenous Advancement Strategy is a fresh approach to engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to achieve real results,” Mr Entsch said.
“It’s a way of the Government providing flexible, better-designed funding to meet the aspirations and priorities of individual communities.
“Together, we can achieve long-lasting results to close the gap on disadvantage and ensure all Australians have the same opportunities in life – whether they live in a capital city, or a community on Cape York.”
