Palm Island gets dedicated blue card liaison officer

Palm Island now has its very own dedicated First Nations blue card liaison officer, a move set to assist residents in obtaining blue cards necessary to work with children in their remote community. Find out why.

Bwgcolman man Gary Prior has been appointed as the Palm Island Blue Card Liaison Officer.

Palm Island now has its very own dedicated First Nations blue card liaison officer, a move set to assist residents in obtaining blue cards necessary to work with children in their remote community.

This initiative, spearheaded by the Miles Government, follows a successful pilot program in Yarrabah, which saw a 30 per cent increase in finalised applications since its launch last August.

Bwgcolman man Gary Prior has been appointed as the Palm Island Blue Card Liaison Officer, with the initiative managed locally by the Palm Island Community Company.

“I have a much more thorough understanding of who needs a blue card and when they need one, which will really help Mob in the community get more jobs,” Mr Prior said.

Mr Prior was recently welcomed into the community during NAIDOC Week celebrations.

Kids leap into the sea off the Palm Island jetty. Photo: Blair Jackson

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath expressed excitement over expanding the program to Palm Island after seeing promising results from the Yarrabah pilot.

“We know that First Nations Queenslanders have experienced barriers while engaging with the blue card system,” she said.

“That is why we introduced our First Nations blue card liaison officer initiative, to help make sure the blue card system is more accessible for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations.”

Townsville MP and Palm Island Ministerial Champion, Scott Stewart, highlighted the unique needs of Palm Island.

“The initiative goes beyond paperwork and processes; it is about delivering culturally appropriate resources and support as well as building relationships with the community,” Mr Stewart said.

“It is all about keeping Queensland children safe, improving employment opportunities for First Nations peoples, and building stronger communities.”

Originally published as Palm Island gets dedicated blue card liaison officer