IN CONVERSATION: TALEI ELU

Talei Elu is a proud Saibai Koedal (crocodile) woman and the 2023 Young Australian of the Year for Queensland. She moved back to Seisia, a Torres Strait Islander community in Cape York, during the pandemic and saw what can be achieved when community have a say and are listened to. We sat down with Talei to talk about her journey home and the importance of community-led solutions.

You worked for the Federal Government for 6-years before moving back to Seisia. Tell us about that journey.

I lived in Canberra as a child where my dad, Joseph Elu, worked as the chairman of Indigenous Business Australia for 12 years. I was around a lot of incredible people in the public service and Indigenous affairs space and I knew I wanted to be in it, too. Eventually, I found myself working in the Minister for Indigenous Affairs’ office.

But in Canberra you’re so distant, making decisions about other communities and not living through the issues that impact people on the ground. It made me think about the bureaucratic systems impacting my community back home.

What turned everything around was spending three months in Seisia. We ran a community beach clean and I was amazed how many people were involved. After six years of working for the Federal Government, I’d never seen a project make a meaningful community impact.

I knew from then on that’s what I wanted to focus on.

So, something as simple as a beach clean changed the trajectory of your life!

Yes, because it’s not just about picking up marine debris. It’s about teaching younger generations about the impact of plastic on the marine life that sustains us. We get Elders involved so kids can hear their stories, and through these interactions we keep cultural knowledge and language alive. There’s one girl here in Seisia who has done every single one of the projects I’m involved in. She’s gained knowledge across media being involved with Torres News; she’s helped run an event. From there, she’s been involved with our Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) project and she uses her media skills to create social tiles in Creole. So what I love about community work is its opportunities for that long-term capacity building.

It is a momentous time with the upcoming referendum on Voice to Parliament to be involved with the AEC. Tell us about it.

When I moved back to Seisia I saw that only 55% of those enrolled to vote here voted in the last federal election. I got very anxious that we wouldn’t be accurately represented in the outcome of the referendum – something that deeply affects us. Whether you vote yes or no to Voice to Parliament, we need to get to have a say. This is why we started the project with the AEC to tackle barriers to enrolment.

Identity documents can be hard to come by because of issues registering for birth certificates, and some people don’t have fixed postal addressed due to structural issues like overcrowding. These are key documents and contribute to the lower rates of enrolment.

We have trained four local women in Seisia to help enrol people in the community. Because they live here, they know when people move away or come back – they understand the life of community. We made enrolment posters and we put a Seisia Elder on it – everyone was saying ‘Oh my gosh, Auntie Eunice is on the poster!’

You’re one of the members of Queensland’s First Nations Consultative Committee. How does this Committee relate to Voice to Parliament?

There is a dynamic of power that isn’t always in our favour, but having more people be heard and to seek to solve the structural nature of the issues we experience is key. That’s what I aim to do developing the framework for the Queensland Voice. Torres Strait Islanders have a deep sense of equity, responsibility and justice. From the 1936 Torres Strait Maritime Strike, to ‘Border Not Change’, Mabo, the Torres Strait 8 and now, the Australian Climate Case launched by Uncle Pabai and Uncle Paul from Saibai Island.

The onus is now on the people with power to really listen and hear the solutions from the people who are on the ground experiencing these issues.

The National Reconciliation Week theme Be A Voice For Generations is about carrying the torch of those who have fought hard before us. Does this resonate with you?

Greatly. My granddad and dad worked hard to make sure we had a safe space to grow and they were raised in a very different time, when Seisia was still under the Aborigines Protection Act. It was a very traumatic, paternalistic, and controlling time in the history of Cape York and Torres Strait. Yet they fought hard to ensure that the younger generations could enjoy freedoms that they were never allowed.

The way I see it is my grandfather and my dad have been a voice for their generation and, they’ve inspired me to take up the charge and do what I can for my generation and those that come after.

Somehow amongst all of this you are also a photographer…

The first time I had used my camera seriously was at Dance Rites in Sydney – it was incredible. I craved trying to capture the next great picture. Capturing people who are in their element, so strong in their culture and in their storytelling is something I find beautiful.

I like the kind of interaction photography can bring about too. Once I was walking down the street when I saw someone creating dance accoutrements – Zamiyaks we call them here in the Torres Strait – and the minute I brought out the camera, we started this random but beautiful conversation. More than the photo, photography can let you peer into someone else’s life and interests. If I’m having a hard day on a project, I spend some time

I’ve found too that through all these projects and all the social issues that we try and tackle here in Seisia, storytelling is such a powerful and important tool that can help create systemic change.