Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council
Encyclopedia
The Aboriginal Shire of Palm Island is a special Local Government Area of Queensland
, Australia, managed by the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council under a Deed of Grant in Trust
granted to the community on 27 October 1986. It is located on Palm Island
, near the north Queensland city of Townsville.
The council was previously the Palm Island Community Council. The Community Council had far fewer powers and was reliant on revenue from alcohol
sales from the canteen.
10 of the 12 Islands in the Greater Palm Island Group come under the control of the Shire (
Palm Island
Fantome Island
,
Curacoa Island
,
Havannah Island
,
Brisk Island
,
Esk Island
,
Falcon Island
,
Eclipse Island,
Barber Island,
Fly Island
,
plus a few rocks: Dido Rock, Hayman Rock, Chilcott Rocks, Paluma Rock), but Orpheus Island is not within its borders. The same is true for Pelorus Island
, located just north of Orpheus Island. Albino Rock belongs to Pelorus Island National Park.
The current Mayor of Palm Island is Alfred Lacey who was elected in 2008. The former Mayor was Cr. Oui-Foster who had previously been the chairwoman of the Community Council from 2001 to 2003 until the council was dissolved over mismanagement of funds and was an Independent candidate for the electoral district of Townsville in the 2004 election.
Current 2008 Councilors are:
The Chief Executive Officer
of the Council is Barry Moyle, who is the former Mayor of the Johnstone Shire Council
, who would later go on to lead the 2004 Palm Island riots
, had resigned in June 2003 after becoming fed up with the Palm Island Aboriginal Council's practices, reasoning that in the 3½ years he was on the council, the body did not achieve one long-term success.
At the conclusion of the administrator's term a handover report was presented to the newly elected Council, this report included; allocation of specific portfolios for Councillors and the establishment of committee structures to ensure functional decision making, appointment of a financial controller for 12 months and the engagement of a Human Resource Management consultant.
According to the Palm Island Select Committee, the local government elections of 1997, 2000, and 2004 demonstrated a lack of continuity in office-bearers, a relatively small number of voters combined with a large number of candidates and a trend in some families for a number of relatives to stand for election.
On 1 January 2005, Palm Island Council was reconstituted as an "Aboriginal Shire". This reconstitution into a Shire Council formed part of the Meeting Challenges, Making Choices strategy developed in response to the Cape York Justice Study undertaken by Justice Fitzgerald QC in November 2001.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia, managed by the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council under a Deed of Grant in Trust
Deed of Grant in Trust
A Deed of Grant in Trust is the name for a system of community-level land trust established in Queensland to administer former reserves and missions...
granted to the community on 27 October 1986. It is located on Palm Island
Palm Island, Queensland
Palm Island is an Aboriginal community located on Great Palm Island, also called by the Aboriginal name "Bwgcolman", an island on the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland, Australia The settlement is also known by a variety of other names including "the Mission", Palm Island Settlement or Palm...
, near the north Queensland city of Townsville.
The council was previously the Palm Island Community Council. The Community Council had far fewer powers and was reliant on revenue from alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
sales from the canteen.
10 of the 12 Islands in the Greater Palm Island Group come under the control of the Shire (
Palm Island
Palm Island, Queensland
Palm Island is an Aboriginal community located on Great Palm Island, also called by the Aboriginal name "Bwgcolman", an island on the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland, Australia The settlement is also known by a variety of other names including "the Mission", Palm Island Settlement or Palm...
Fantome Island
Fantome Island
Fantome Island is one of the islands in the Great Palm Island group. It is neighboured by Great Palm Island and is north-east of Townsville, Queensland on the east coast of Australia. The Aboriginal name for this island is Eumilli Island. The island is small with an area of and is surrounded by...
,
Curacoa Island
Curacoa Island
Curacoa Island is one of the islands in the Great Palm Island group. The nearest island is Great Palm Island, after which the group is named. Curacoa Island is uninhabited.The Aboriginal term for this island is Noogoo Island.-External links:*...
,
Havannah Island
Havannah Island
Havannah Island is one of the islands in the Great Palm Island group. The nearest island is Great Palm Island, after which the group is named.Havannah Island is the southernmost island from Palm Island and is under the flight path from Townsville....
,
Brisk Island
Brisk Island
Brisk Island is an island in the Great Palm Island group. The nearest island is Great Palm Island, after which the group is named.The Aboriginal name for Brisk Island is Culgarool Island....
,
Esk Island
Esk Island
Esk Island is one of the islands in the Great Palm Island group. The nearest island is Great Palm Island, after which the group is named.The Aboriginal term for this island is Soopun Island....
,
Falcon Island
Falcon Island
Falcon Island is one of the islands in the Great Palm Island group, off the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. The nearest island is Great Palm Island, after which the group is named.The Aboriginal term for this island is Carbooroo Island....
,
Eclipse Island,
Barber Island,
Fly Island
Fly Island
Fly Island is one of the islands in the Great Palm Island group. The nearest island is Great Palm Island, after which the group is named.Fly Island is a few hundred metres northwest of Havannah Island and 50 km southeast of Ingham. The nearest island to the west is Pandora Reef.- References :...
,
plus a few rocks: Dido Rock, Hayman Rock, Chilcott Rocks, Paluma Rock), but Orpheus Island is not within its borders. The same is true for Pelorus Island
Pelorus Island
Pelorus Island is the northernmost island of the Great Palm Island group. It is located 800 meters north of Orpheus Island. Pelorus is surrounded by spectacular fringing reefs that can be accessed by snorkeling right off the beach...
, located just north of Orpheus Island. Albino Rock belongs to Pelorus Island National Park.
The current Mayor of Palm Island is Alfred Lacey who was elected in 2008. The former Mayor was Cr. Oui-Foster who had previously been the chairwoman of the Community Council from 2001 to 2003 until the council was dissolved over mismanagement of funds and was an Independent candidate for the electoral district of Townsville in the 2004 election.
Current 2008 Councilors are:
- Cr Ruth Gorringe
- Cr Raymond Sibley
- Cr Zina Prior
- Cr Mick Thaiday
The Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the Council is Barry Moyle, who is the former Mayor of the Johnstone Shire Council
Shire of Johnstone
The Shire of Johnstone was a Local Government Area of Queensland. It was located on the Coral Sea coast about south of the city of Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Innisfail, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1881 until 2008, when it amalgamated...
History
The Palm Island Council received qualified audits for the financial years ending 2003-04, 2002–03 and 1999–2000. It received unqualified audits for the 2000-01 and 2001-02 financial years. In October 2003 the then Palm Island Council was dissolved and an administrator was appointed until the March 2004 election. A Townsville-based insolvency practitioner was appointed as administrator. This occurred due to a range of governance and financial management issues, including: insolvency, serious mismanagement, instability of Council membership between March 2000 and October 2003, conflict among elected Councillors, high turnover in the position of Council Clerk (CEO), poor records and decision making processes, unsustainable expenditure, a failure to deliver major infrastructure projects. Lex WottonTrial of Lex Wotton
The trial of Lex Wotton relates to the events surrounding the Townsville, Queensland proceedings in the Federal Magistrates Court concerning the actions taken by Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council member Lex Wotton during the 26 November 2004 Palm Island riots.Lex Wotton was a two-time councillor...
, who would later go on to lead the 2004 Palm Island riots
2004 Palm Island death in custody
The 2004 Palm Island death in custody incident relates to the death of Palm Island, Queensland resident, Mulrunji on Friday, 19 November 2004 in a police cell. The death of Mulrunji led to civic disturbances on the island and a legal, political and media sensation that continued for three years...
, had resigned in June 2003 after becoming fed up with the Palm Island Aboriginal Council's practices, reasoning that in the 3½ years he was on the council, the body did not achieve one long-term success.
At the conclusion of the administrator's term a handover report was presented to the newly elected Council, this report included; allocation of specific portfolios for Councillors and the establishment of committee structures to ensure functional decision making, appointment of a financial controller for 12 months and the engagement of a Human Resource Management consultant.
According to the Palm Island Select Committee, the local government elections of 1997, 2000, and 2004 demonstrated a lack of continuity in office-bearers, a relatively small number of voters combined with a large number of candidates and a trend in some families for a number of relatives to stand for election.
On 1 January 2005, Palm Island Council was reconstituted as an "Aboriginal Shire". This reconstitution into a Shire Council formed part of the Meeting Challenges, Making Choices strategy developed in response to the Cape York Justice Study undertaken by Justice Fitzgerald QC in November 2001.