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CDEP and the people of the sea: Stephen Johnson asks what does the end of the community development employment projects mean for a remote community in the south-west Gulf of Carpentaria?

Article Excerpt
The Yanyuwa people call the Sir Edward Pellew group of islands, coastline and surrounding rivers home. So too do many other people. Some five years ago increasing concern over the activities of miners, fishers and other visitors to the region gave rise to the li-Anthawirriyarra Sea Ranger Unit. li-Anthawirriyarra in literal translation means 'people of the sea' and the Sea Rangers are charged with representing the interests and aspirations of the wider Yanyuwa community, especially in terms of caring for kin and country.

As the name suggests, Yanyuwa traditional owners (with some financial support from NT Fisheries and various other agencies) own and drive this initiative. In conventional employment terms, the unit employs three Rangers, all on CDEP with financial 'top up', and a facilitator, whose position is funded as needed. In reality, li-Anthawirriyarra also depends heavily on the firsthand observation and knowledge--indigenous knowledge-- of a number of Yanyuwa traditional owners living and working on their own country. These individuals and their families are on Ranger CDEP. Without their local knowledge, cultural guidance and overall mentorship, the unit could not exist.

An End to CDEP

On 21 June, li-Anthawirriyarra returned to Borroloola, our home base, after a busy couple of weeks. We had been on the water participating in the search for a drowned person, observing the activities of crabbers, monitoring turtle and dugong, searching for marine debris and doing a number of other things that we know are important to the Yanyuwa mob. We thought those things were also important to other Australians. Two hours after our return, we first heard of Minister Brough's proposal to abolish CDEP. We were stunned. What can one say in the face of such an announcement? We are still not sure what it means.

On radio the minister gave us an assurance that positive projects like li-Anthawirriyarra would not...

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