Torres Strait Regional Authority

Torres Strait Regional Authority
Coat of arms of Torres Strait Islands Coat of arms
The Torres Strait Islands
Capital		Thursday Island
Demonym		Torres Strait Islander
Government		Regional Authority
•	Queen	Elizabeth II
•	Chair	Joseph Elu
•	Chief Executive Officer	Wayne See Kee
Regional Authority
•	Established	1 July 1994

The Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) is an Australian Government body established to administer the Torres Strait Islands.The TSRA consists of 20 elected representatives.

The primary function of the Authority is to strengthen the economic, social and cultural development of the peoples of the Torres Strait area. The authority was established in 1994. The TSRA was set up to replace the activities that were previously conducted by the abolished Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. Nearly two thirds of the authority's funds are spent on employment programs. Most of the remaining funding is spent on housing programs.

The TSRA is part of the Territory Coalition, which is trying to gain official Territory status for the Torres Strait Islands. The plan would see the TSRA and local governments in the area abolished.

The islands

The Torres Strait Islands lie to the north of Tropical Queensland's Cape York Peninsula and comprise 274 small islands, of which 17 are inhabited, located in Torres Strait which separates Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Each island community elects a member to the Torres Strait Regional Authority.

Thursday Island (Waiben) and Horn Island (Nurupai) are the most well-known of the Torres Strait Islands. Activities on the islands are quite traditional, with fishing being the major economic activity. To travel to the remote islands (other than Thursday and Horn Islands) permission is required from the Torres Strait Regional Authority.

The five major island groups of the Torres Strait include:

• Northern Division (Boigu, Dauan, Saibai)
• Eastern Islands (Darnley, Murray, Stephen)
• Western Division (St. Pauls, Kubin, Badu, Mabuiag)
• Central Division (Yorke, Coconut, Warraber, Yam)
• Southern Division (TI and Inner Islands, NPA and Mainland Australia)

Governance

The TSRA board is led by a Chair of the Torres Strait Regional Authority and Deputy Chair. The current chair is Joseph Elu. The day-to-day functions of the TSRA are carried out by an Administration Department led by a Chief Executive Officer, currently Wayne See Kee.

Chair of the Torres Strait Island Regional Authority:

• 1 July 1994 – March 1997: Getano Lui, Jr. (b. 1952)
• March 1997 – 19 April 2000: John Abednego
• 19 April 2000 – May 2004: Terry Waia
• May 2004 – November 2012: John Toshie Kris
• November 2012 – Present: Joseph Elu

History

Together with the Island Co-ordinating Council (ICC) the TSRA has been active in implementing community based management strategies. The adoption of a Marine Strategy for the monitoring and management of dugong and turtle populations in the seas around the islands was undertaken in 1999. In 2006, successful lobby by the authority and the ICC resulted in the granting of $300,000 from the Federal Government to study the risks of climate change on the six largest Torres Strait Islands. In 2010, after a nine-year legal battle, the TSRA made a successful native title claim to 40,000 km² of sea between Cape York Peninsula and Papua New Guinea. This was the largest native title claim in Australia's history.

See also

• List of Australian Commonwealth Government entities

External links

• Torres Strait Regional Authority
• Australian Govt – TRSE website with links to resorts, island, links and details of Gab Titui Cultural Centre.
• Details of individual islands and local administration
• Flag of the TSRA and map