Stories and events of the Kaurareg homeland of Kaiwalagal, the Torres Strait homeland and Cape York homelands of the Anggamuthi, Atambaya, Wuthathi, Yadhaykenu and Gudang Peoples.
Thursday, 9 May 2024
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Career opportunities knock for Tagai students
Community shock at government’s closing in Aus climate hearing STORY BY TALEI ELU & CARLI WILLIS
Tagai State College Year 12 health studies student Jakidda Manuel tries out a stethoscope on Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) delegate Jade Abernathy under the watchful eye of final-year medical student Dr Danielle Arabena at the Careers Market at Waybeni Koey Ngurpay Mudh last Wednesday. Pic supplied by AIDA. For more about Tagai’s Market Day see PAGE 4 N For more about AIDA’s visit to the Torres Strait see PAGE 5 N
Community members present at the closing arguments in the Australian Climate Case in Cairns last week have been left reeling at the Government legal team’s attempts to diminish the importance of Ailan Kastom to the case in their closing arguments. After four long years of legal process, closing statements for the landmark federal court case over climate change were wrapped up last Friday. The court heard powerful testimonies and saw evidence of climate impacts from all corners of the Torres Strait from the legal team representing Uncles Paul Kabai and Pabai Pabai. Justice Michael Wigney was left to deliberate and expected to hand down his decision later this year. His judgment could set a global precedent for climate litigation. The case attracted international attention with the hearings attended by high-profile international lawyers and climate change victims from across the country. But Dr McRose Elu, who travelled with the Case for the four years, said the arguments put forward by the Commonwealth in their closing statement still came as a shock. “What really got to me was the question around Ailan Kastom, our identity, and of course, the weather patterns,” Dr Elu said.
“It was really ignorant in a way.” Arguments by the Commonwealth attempted to diminish the value of Ailan Kastom to Torres Strait Islanders as they argued the loss of culture should not be compensated “for mere sadness”. Grata Fund executive director and climate justice legal expert Isabelle Reinecke said she hoped the judge would disregard that argument. “The thing that was disturbing about it, was this is the legal team for government saying something quite contrary to what they’re saying to us in Australia in other forums,” she said. The government also tried to dismiss evidence given by Torres Strait Islanders. “The lawyers for the government really were urging the court to not take into account Torres Strait Islander eyewitness testimony about climate change impacts in their own lands,” she said. “It stands in quite stark contrast to statements from this government about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices being listened to and heard in Australia by the Prime Minister himself at Garma in 2022. “It was pretty shocking.” Ms Reinecke said during scientific hearings late last year, Western science had backed the eyewitness evidence Torres Strait Islanders had provided of what was occurring on their land. Story continued & pics PAGES 12 & 13 N
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