Shire of Torres
Encyclopedia
The Shire of Torres is a Local Government Area located in Far North Queensland
, Australia
, covering large sections of the Torres Strait Islands
and the northern tip of Cape York Peninsula
north of 11°S latitude
. It holds two distinctions—it is the northernmost Local Government Area in Australia, and is the only one to abut an international border (with Papua New Guinea
)—it is at one point just 73 kilometres (45 mi) from the Papua New Guinea
. It is administered from Thursday Island.
during World War II
, the Australian government gave the order to evacuate all civilians from Thursday Island, which now became a military base. In 1946, civilians started returning to the island. In 1952 the Council was dissolved and replaced by administrators.
On 9 May 1974, the Shire was established and gazetted by the Bjelke-Petersen
government, in an effort to gain leverage on a boundary dispute between the Australian and Papua New Guinea
governments. It was created from the following parts: However, elective government was not restored to the Shire until March 1991—along with the Shires of Mornington, Cook
and Aurukun, it was administered by the Local Government Department's Far North regional office.
When the Community Services (Torres Strait) Act 1984 was enacted, 15 island councils were created. Each was responsible for local basic utilities and services, and worked with the Queensland Police to provide for community police officers—hence extending well beyond the normal functions of local government. The remaining areas were governed under the Local Government Act like most other parts of Queensland.
In March 1991, elected Council status was restored by the new Goss
Labor
government, and in 1994 Pedro Stephen became its first and so far only Mayor.
(DOGIT) areas on the peninsula, and the Torres Strait Islands Region, which replaced 15 autonomous island councils in March 2008. During statewide local government reform in 2007-08, the Queensland Government considered merging the Shire with the other areas, but felt that having one area subject to three different types of legislation would be inefficient, and the Shire was one of a handful to remain unchanged through the process.
The shire covers a land area of 1856.9 square kilometres (717 sq mi), of which it controls and administers 885.9 square kilometres (342 sq mi) under the Local Government Act 1993. Areas under its jurisdiction include:
Travel in the shire is generally by boat.
(ABS), who conduct the quinquennial census, as particularly difficult to measure accurately. Reasons for this include cultural and language barriers, transport and geographical spread of the population, who are located in isolated communities and on small islands. As such, all figures are likely to be lower than the actual population on the census date.
In addition, until 1 July 2002, the Australian Bureau of Statistics included the Island and DOGIT councils within the Shire of Torres statistical local area. Information for the reduced Shire back to 1996 has been provided on the ABS website through the Time Series Profile.
The Shire of Torres has only had one mayor in its history—on 15 March 2008, Pedro Stephen, an ordained Full Gospel
minister first elected in 1994 and the first ever Torres Strait Islander
to be elected as a Mayor of a Local Government Area, was re-elected with almost 50% of the vote.
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, covering large sections of the Torres Strait Islands
Torres Strait Islands
The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea but Torres Strait Island known and Recognize as Nyumaria.The islands are mostly part of...
and the northern tip of Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
north of 11°S latitude
11th parallel south
The 11th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 11 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America....
. It holds two distinctions—it is the northernmost Local Government Area in Australia, and is the only one to abut an international border (with Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
)—it is at one point just 73 kilometres (45 mi) from the Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. It is administered from Thursday Island.
History
Most of the Islands were unincorporated until the 1970s, but Thursday Island had a town council going back to 1912. In 1939, the Torres Strait Islanders Act was passed by the Federal Government, allowing for a form of local government on each island. On 27 January 1942, after the fall of SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Australian government gave the order to evacuate all civilians from Thursday Island, which now became a military base. In 1946, civilians started returning to the island. In 1952 the Council was dissolved and replaced by administrators.
On 9 May 1974, the Shire was established and gazetted by the Bjelke-Petersen
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
government, in an effort to gain leverage on a boundary dispute between the Australian and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
governments. It was created from the following parts: However, elective government was not restored to the Shire until March 1991—along with the Shires of Mornington, Cook
Shire of Cook
The Shire of Cook is a Local Government Area located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The shire covers most of the eastern and central parts of Cape York Peninsula, the most northerly section of the Australian mainland....
and Aurukun, it was administered by the Local Government Department's Far North regional office.
| Original entity | Area transferred | Population transferred |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| km² | sq mi | ||
| Thursday Island Town | 3.23 | 1.25 | 2,237 |
| Cook Shire | 2041.22 | 788.12 | 1,120 |
| Unincorporated islands | 751.55 | 290.18 | 2,909 |
When the Community Services (Torres Strait) Act 1984 was enacted, 15 island councils were created. Each was responsible for local basic utilities and services, and worked with the Queensland Police to provide for community police officers—hence extending well beyond the normal functions of local government. The remaining areas were governed under the Local Government Act like most other parts of Queensland.
In March 1991, elected Council status was restored by the new Goss
Wayne Goss
Wayne Keith Goss was Premier of Queensland from 7 December 1989 until 19 February 1996.-Early life:He was born at Mundubbera, Queensland and educated at Inala High School and the University of Queensland...
Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
government, and in 1994 Pedro Stephen became its first and so far only Mayor.
Geography and jurisdiction
Since 1984, the Shire of Torres only administers those sections of its area which are not autonomous. It is effectively colocated with the Northern Peninsula Area Region, which covers a number of Deed of Grant in TrustDeed 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...
(DOGIT) areas on the peninsula, and the Torres Strait Islands Region, which replaced 15 autonomous island councils in March 2008. During statewide local government reform in 2007-08, the Queensland Government considered merging the Shire with the other areas, but felt that having one area subject to three different types of legislation would be inefficient, and the Shire was one of a handful to remain unchanged through the process.
The shire covers a land area of 1856.9 square kilometres (717 sq mi), of which it controls and administers 885.9 square kilometres (342 sq mi) under the Local Government Act 1993. Areas under its jurisdiction include:
- Thursday Island (Waibene)
- Horn Island (Narupai) and its airportHorn Island AirportHorn Island Airport is an airport in Horn Island, Queensland, Australia.-World War II:The Civil Constructional Corps and the Department of Main Roads began construction of an advanced operational airbase on the island during World War II, commencing in 1940. The aerodrome was completed in January...
- Prince of Wales Island (Muralug)
- Albany Island and Manar Group
- Booby Island
- Dayman Island
- Entrance Island
- Friday Island (Gealug)
- Goods Island (Palilug)
- Little Adolphus Island
- Mabuiag IslandMabuiag IslandMabuiag is an island in the Bellevue Islands, 100 km north of Thursday Island Queensland, Australia in the Napoleon Passage and Arnolds Passage of Torres Strait...
- Mount Adolphus Island
- Packe Island
- Port Lihou IslandYeta (Port Lihou Island), QueenslandYeta , or Port Lihou Island is an island in the Torres Strait, in Queensland's north between the Australian mainland and Papua New Guinea. It is located at ....
- Possession Island
- SomersetSomerset, QueenslandSomerset is a historical ruin of Somerset homestead, a station established by John Jardine in 1863 and is 35 km north of Bamaga on Cape York in Queensland, Australia. It is a good camping area and day trip with facilities for barbecues....
- Turtle Head Island
- Wednesday Island (Mawai)
Travel in the shire is generally by boat.
Population
The population of the Shire of Torres, along with Cook, Aurukun and Mornington, have been singled out by the Australian Bureau of StatisticsAustralian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
(ABS), who conduct the quinquennial census, as particularly difficult to measure accurately. Reasons for this include cultural and language barriers, transport and geographical spread of the population, who are located in isolated communities and on small islands. As such, all figures are likely to be lower than the actual population on the census date.
In addition, until 1 July 2002, the Australian Bureau of Statistics included the Island and DOGIT councils within the Shire of Torres statistical local area. Information for the reduced Shire back to 1996 has been provided on the ABS website through the Time Series Profile.
| Year | Population | Combined population |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 6,266 | |
| 1976 | 6,275 | |
| 1981 | 6,131 | |
| 1986 | 6,821 | |
| 1991 | 8,233 | |
| 1996 | 3,282 | 8,572 |
| 2001 | 4,097 | 9,698 |
| 2006 | 3,457 | 9,684 |
Mayor and Council
Until the 2007-08 reforms, the council consisted of seven councillors, but this was reduced to four. A mayor is elected separately by the entire Shire. Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at the Torres Shire Council offices at Douglas Street, Thursday Island.The Shire of Torres has only had one mayor in its history—on 15 March 2008, Pedro Stephen, an ordained Full Gospel
Full Gospel
The term Full Gospel is often used as a synonym for Pentecostalism, a Protestant movement originating in the 19th century. Early Pentecostals saw their teachings on baptism with the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and divine healing as a return to the doctrines and power of the Apostolic Age...
minister first elected in 1994 and the first ever Torres Strait Islander
Torres Strait Islanders
Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands, part of Queensland, Australia. They are culturally and genetically linked to Melanesian peoples and those of Papua New Guinea....
to be elected as a Mayor of a Local Government Area, was re-elected with almost 50% of the vote.