Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In taking note of the Torres Strait Regional Authority report for 2004-05, I want to draw the Senate’s attention to the great work that the Torres Strait Regional Authority does. During this particular year it was chaired by John Kris, better known as ‘Toshie’—for those in the area who know and, I might suggest, love Toshie. The Torres Strait Regional Authority does a marvellous job in administering all aspects of life in the Northern Territory, particularly from a Commonwealth point of view. The Torres Strait Regional Authority is funded by the Commonwealth government and it is a very democratic organisation. It comprises the chairmen of all of the island community councils, and it is well managed, well run, and it does achieve quite a lot. The Torres Strait is, of course, part of my electorate, since I am a senator for the state of Queensland. The Torres Strait has always been a very important part of Queensland, and I have had quite a lot to do with the Torres Strait in relation to fisheries issues.

This report does mention fisheries, as well it might. The fisheries industry is one of the few industries that can occur in that area, although it is not often thought of by the rest of Australia in that way. That is why it is so important to make sure that the fisheries are well managed and that the islanders have a fair and equitable share of not only the management of the fishery but the resources of the fishery and the profits from the fishery.

In all my dealings with members of the Torres Strait Regional Authority, I found a great commitment to their communities by the representative members. I found that, whilst politics in the Torres Strait are sometimes more demanding than they are even in this place—not party politics but the internal politics of the islands and the various people—all of the members of the Torres Strait Regional Authority worked to the best of their ability, and that ability was very high, to advance the interests of their people and their economic and social development.

It is important for the Australian government—and indeed the Queensland government—to support the islanders. Fishing is one industry which they can work with, make profits from and create jobs with. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the islands, there is not much else going for them in the way of economic activity, apart from tourism, which I have always thought has a great future in the Torres Strait. Some of the islanders are a bit reluctant to welcome in tourists from outside the strait, although there have been some activities which show a slight change in that attitude. There are a couple of resorts up there now which are run by the island community councils. I have never stayed in them, but I would certainly commend them to senators and to anyone else who might be looking for a good destination for a holiday, particularly those who have been everywhere else and done everything else—