Mornington Mayor Kyle Yanner speaks at Mackay’s 2021 LGAQ conference

The mayor of a Queensland island has issued a desperate plea for help to save its “dying” community, which he says is plagued by youth crime, “out of control” petrol sniffing, homelessness and disease.

In a raw, heartfelt and unconventional speech to his peers, Mornington Island Mayor Kyle Yanner talked about how his community has been plagued by youth crime, “out of control” petrol sniffing, homelessness and disease.

“This journey is literally life and death to my community,” Mr Yanner said.

“I’ve made it but why have so many of my people not made it? Why are so many of my people disempowered?”

Mr Yanner has called for an independent audit of the health and welfare services delivered to the island, after a meeting with Minister Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Craig Crawford.

Minister Crawford agreed to strongly advocate on the council’s behalf.

Speaking at the Local Government Association of Queensland conference in Mackay, Mr Yanner also said he would also like to see a change in the way Queensland’s chief health officer delivered health data for Queensland – to stop separating indigenous and non-indigenous people in statistics.

“We are all one,” he said.

The island’s major health provider, Gidgee Health, provided data that showed 634 First Nation patients were suffering from chronic disease, with many suffering from two or more serious health issues including diabetes, heart disease, mental health, and renal impairment.

“The statistics showed we are at a crisis point in every area,” Mr Yanner said.

The First Nations mayor, who was elected by his community in April 2020, took to the stage during the LGAQ conference mayoral panel.

“I could listen to him all day,” an audience member said.

Mornington Island Mayor Mayor Kyle Yanner. Picture: Peter Carruthers

When Mr Yanner and his young family moved back to Mornington Island in 2019, he realised the plight of his First Nations people had deteriorated over his years away.

Desperate to help his community, Mr Yanner began inviting community members to his camp to provide guidance.

“I decided to be a catalyst for change in my community,” he said.

In just a month, he said the number of locals staying at the camp skyrocketed to 32, adding to the financial strain of Mr Yanner and his partner.

Despite the valuable service he was delivering to his community, however, Mr Yanner said he received little to no help.

There was no government assistance — except a fuel voucher and a $30 food voucher for a month — and he relied on local donations.

Noticing the success of his camps, Mr Yanner decided to host “bigger and better” camps to help his community’s struggling youth.

“I was knocked back by council for support and funding,” he said.

“We made do with the minimal resources we had, and it was almost all donated.

“I attended local meetings and I was not always welcome … I was turned away by the police.”

When Mr Yanner was elected as mayor, he knew he faced challenges.

Mornington Island Regional Shire Council mayor Kyle Yanner spoke about his community's health service plight at LGAQ's 2021 conference. Picture: Steph Allen

“I knew I had a big job and there was a lot to change,” he said.

“Our people are dying from diseases … and they’re addicted to home brew.”

Upon taking up the mayoral position, Mr Yanner realised just how drastic the state of his community was.

“There were 11 people in two-bedroom homes,” he said.

Mr Yanner said homelessness on Mornington Island was currently 20 times the state average, the death rate of residents was 40 times the state average, and countless residents were dying before the age of 40 – many with multiple chronic illnesses.

“It was unacceptable in every way … it (pushed) me to work much harder,” Mr Yanner said.

Despite Mr Yanner’s push for the audit, he said the state government originally pushed back against the audit, with Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath rejecting the idea.

But he said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had since promised to see the first-hand reality of what his community was facing.

“We’ll hold her to her word,” he said.

Mr Yanner said his council hoped to work with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in the future to provide improved health services to residents.