Dear Pama, When First Nations people of Cape York come together, with fire in their belly, to design and plan for a better future it is truly an invigorating and exciting gathering. The Pama Futures Summit in December 2018 brought together more than 330 people from more than 30 language groups to continue to build on 18-months of groundwork in what has been the nation’s most comprehensive future-visioning process for Indigenous reform.
What is the Pama Futures agenda trying to achieve? There is widespread agreement that under Pama Futures, there is a lot of work to be done in the three major areas: Land Rights, Empowerment and Economic Development. The number one goal of Pama Futures is to put in place the reforms needed to empower the individuals, families, clans and communities to drive their own agendas in each of these areas. Power and decision-making currently held by government alone, must shift into the hands of First Nations individuals, families, clans, communities, subregions and regions. This is what Pama Futures sets out to achieve –more and better local decision making. In this way, Pama Futures can bring about a watershed transformation for all Cape York communities.
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Our Reform Goal If Cape York Pama don’t take the lead on closing the gap ourselves, things will never change. Our reform goal is to build capabilities to Close the Gap on our people’s disparity, but this requires a new empowering partnership between government and Indigenous people. Decisions must be made by people in the Cape not Canberra.
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But How? It is not for government to build a new empowering partnership for us. That will never work. Cape York people are the ones that have the best understanding of our own families, clans and communities. We are the ones with the knowledge needed to devise new systems that will work. It is for us all—as Cape York Pama—to build from the ground up the new planning, decision-making and leadership structures and processes through which we can form an empowering partnership with government. Government must get in behind, and support us. Your work over the past 18 months, through workshops and Summits, has provided a framework through which government can be brought to the table in your community, to negotiate directly with members of your community. Decisions must be made in the Cape by Cape Pama.
What has been achieved so far? For the first time, under Pama Futures, the Federal government has committed to local decision making, by you, about funding for services in your communities, not by Canberra. For example, in making decisions about expiring grants in your area, the Federal Minister Nigel Scullion committed early to giving 75% weighting to recommendations made by community panels. The Joint Decisions Making process has already been tested once, and in 2019 more of these processes to influence decisions about spending in Cape York can be expected to be made at the local level, instead of being made by government alone.
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While there is a lot of work to do, one thing is 100% certain—we have strong leadership across all our communities and many magnificent young leaders ready to take up the mantle. We have leaders in all our communities that are smart, articulate, creative, ambitious, and most certainly ready to lead change. At the Summit, young Pama leaders told us they are ready. Our young leaders called on all of us to unite and resolve conflict maturely, and to support each to grow and pursue aspirations. They called on us to ensure they are part of the solution. Our old people give us strength, but our young people inspire us to make their lives better than ours.
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Summit Resolutions Together the group at the December 2018 Summit, crafted 20 resolutions, and these are available on your Pama Futures website.
Minister Nigel Scullion has supported Cape York Pama in this much-needed conversation and design process. He has expressed words of motivation and his faith in local people to lead local change, has helped to take Pama Futures this far.
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Action from the Summit • •
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Condolences and acknowledgement of the Mabo family legacy have been sent on behalf of the Summit, also offering support to advocate for a national day of recognition on 3 June. A letter has been sent on behalf of the Summit to the Queensland Premier, Police Minister and Attorney-General calling for an end to systemic violence, high incarceration rates, and for a full inquiry into the horrific and traumatising police treatment Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at Cooktown and Bandyup Women’s Prison in Perth - because Pama Lives Matter. An advocacy strategy has been developed to support Uncle Hans Pearson and the 6000 claimants in their class action against the State, noting that tragically around 50 claimants have died since the class action started. Proposals for Rangers and Fishing Co-op work have been developed. These focus on involving and empowering the subregional groups on the ground. The Great Dreaming Track proposal has been awarded $3.4M by the Australian Government from the Building Better Regions Fund to develop Stage1 including a series of eco-adventures and Indigenous experiences and pilot low-cost accommodation options inclusive of water and power for remote areas. The model creates opportunities for local Indigenous families, clans and others to create their own small businesses as part of the Great Dreaming Track. One Claim continues to work to ensure the Land Rights of all our Cape York Pama are settled as soon as possible. When One Claim is finalised native title should be recognised over 95% of land on Cape York. Traditional Owners must continue to have the full say about business on their country. This is enshrined in law. CYLC has continued working with Traditional Owners across Cape York this year to prepare witness statements. CYLC has held a number of meetings across Cape York since the December Summit to provide updates on One Claim and hear Traditional Owners ideas for PBC arrangements. These meetings will continue throughout 2019. The proposed CYLC restructure is progressing. The extended suite of services being offered will create opportunities for Land Reform and Investment Ready Tenure for TO’s in the Cape with Land Trusts and TOs coming together to create local wealth opportunity. The Special General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 10 April 2019 in Cairns. A notice and full briefing material has been sent to all CYLC members. Traditional Owners from North Queensland and Cape York have come together to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The clear message is the First Nations Voice to Parliament must be designed so that local voices have a direct relationship with the government. The Pama Futures team will be working with all 12 subregions to establish Community Partnership Tables so that community members can sit down with governments and directly negotiate investment priorities in their own community.
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A submission for Pama to develop the Opportunity Account, an incentive system and mobile platform, has been supported by the Australian Government’s Try Test and Learn fund and will be designed with reform communities over the next six months. A Too Deadly for Diabetes workshop has been conducted with a group of Pama and will now go into design phase to customise the program for Cape York. A strategy to further grow the amazing young leaders of Cape York, including those who stepped up at the Summit to express their views, is in development.
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What our old people started, we will finish Planning will be as strong as we can all make it together. Everyone that cares about the future of Pama children, of culture, of land, economic development and empowerment should get involved in the Pama Futures workshops and sessions. Your input and participation will make this plan work for you and your families. Stay informed and follow the updates and please also talk to others who may not yet have had a chance to get involved. It is now full steam ahead. The Pama Futures team is looking forward to helping to implement throughout 2019 the new community partnership structures, that will create real power and decision-making to people on the ground Regular updates will be provided as the on-the-ground partnership structures for local decisionmaking get moving. To those who have dedicated their time and spirit to this process, and there are well over 800 of you, thank you! Strong together
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