Mornington Island plight: Premier pledges visit

Annastacia Palaszczuk has committed to visiting Mornington Island following a “cry for help” from the Indigenous community.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has committed to visit Mornington Island herself following a “cry for help” from the Indigenous community and its impassioned mayor.

Responding to a special report into the challenges of everyday life for the 1143 far north Queensland residents of the island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Ms Palaszczuk will plan her first trip to an Indigenous community in over two years.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will travel to Mornington Island. (NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled)

She will now travel to the remote island, as well as the nearby Indigenous communities of Karumba and Normanton, although no date is yet set.

Asked about ideas to improves lives for the residents of Mornington Island – who live in overcrowded housing or are homeless, and are suffering chronic illness, high unemployment, low school attendance and a lack of fresh food – a spokesman said the Premier was open to all ideas.

The Loogatha family, of Mornington Island, yarn around the fire. Picture: Brian Cassey

“The Premier has asked for an update from Minister (Meaghan) Scanlon after her visit to the island as Ministerial Champion and also asked that the Health Director General as Government champion also visit,” he said.

“The Premier and her Ministers will keep engaging with indigenous mayors and the Premier intends to visit Mornington Island, Karumba and Normanton this year.

“Any ideas to improve quality of life on Mornington Island are worthy of consideration and will be looked at closely.”

Mornington Island Mayor Kyle Yanner on his 'country' Murndarnyetti outside of Gununa township on Mornington Island. Picture: Brian Cassey

Mayor Kyle Yanner is lobbying the state and federal governments in search of ideas to improve life in his community, and to find support for plans to create a market garden to grow fresh produce, to establish cattle stations to create jobs and for an independent audit of services on the island.

He told The Saturday Courier-Mail he wanted the Government to see for itself “the struggles all my families have”.

“I want them to see why it’s so hard to get a good night’s sleep, I want them to see the overcrowded housing,” he said.

“I want them to feel us – our pain and our cry for help.”