Torres News_Edition 68_16 February 2023

08 NATIONAL NEWS

THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2023 TORRES NEWS

Moving towards Closing the Gap

TN0461 • 09/02/23

Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney. Pic supplied.

Under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, the Australian Government has released its second Closing the Gap Implementation Plan. Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney said the Plan was about practical action and invested $424 million in additional funding to Closing the Gap. But, she said, they needed to do more.

“A lot of the foundational work has been done over the last two years and now we can really turn our efforts towards real action and real change,” she said. “We saw the outcomes in the 2022 Closing the Gap Annual Report and know that we need to be doing more as a Government. “This additional funding is a concrete commitment from the Albanese Government to prioritise Closing the

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Ph: (07) 4069 1586 Thursday Island/Horn Island Ferry Timetable from 06/02/2023 dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ /ƐůĂŶĚͬ,ŽƌŶ /ƐůĂŶĚ &ĞƌƌLJ dŝŵĞƚĂďůĞ ĨƌŽŵ ϬϲͬϬϮͬϮϬϮϯ All TI Transfers Include Complimentary Bus Service on Thursday Island.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: - We will ALWAYS meet any QANTAS and Skytrans flight from Cairns - should extra services be scheduled (eg School Holidays) we will add services that may be outside this schedule. For late flights - you MUST have a booking

IMPORTANT NOTE: We will ALWAYS meet any QANTAS and Skytrans flight from Cairns – should extra services be scheduled QF = QANTAS WATER TAXIS AND CHARTERS AVAILABLE QN =MUST SKYTRANS (eg school holidays) we will add services that may be outside this schedule. For late flights – you have a booking.

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MON

TUE

WED

THURS

FRI

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TI

6:15

6:15

6:15

6:15

6:15

06:15 *

HIW

6:25

6:25

6:25

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TI

7:00

7:00

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HIW

7:15

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TI

8:00

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8:00

8:00

8:00

HIW

8:15

8:15

8:15

8:15

8:15

8:15

8:15

TI

09:00 QF2489

09:00 QF2489

09:00 QF2489

09:00 QF2489

09:00 QF2489

09:00 QF2489

09:00 QF2489

HIW

9:15

9:15

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9:15

9:15

9:15

9:15

TI

10:30

10:30

10:30

10:30

10:30

10:30

10:30

HIW

10:45 QF2488

10:45 QF2488

10:45 QF2488

10:45 QF2488

10:45 QF2488

10:45 QF2488

10:45 QF2488

TI

11:45

11:45

11:45

11:45

11:45

HIW

12:00

12:00

12:00

12:00

12:00

TI

13:45 QF2497

13:45 QF2497

13:45 QF2497

13:45 QF2497

13:45 QF2497

13:45 QF2497

HIW

14:00

14:00

14:00

14:00

14:00

14:00

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15:15 QF2491 15:30 QF2496

15:15 QF2491 15:30 QF2496

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15:15

HIW

15:15 QF2491 15:30 QF2496 /

15:30 QF2496

15:30

TI

16:15

16:15

16:15

16:15

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HIW

16:30

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TI

17:15

17:15

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17:15

17:15*

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17:30 QF2490

17:30

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18:00 *

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HIW

18:10 *

18:10 *

18:10 *

18:10 *

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P J 07 4069 1586 • F J 07 4069 1408 • E J info@rebeltours.com.au • W J www.rebeltours.com.au & Ϭϳ ϰϬϲϵ ϭϰϬϴ ŝŶĨŽΛƌĞďĞůƚŽƵƌƐ͘ĐŽŵ͘ĂƵ Important: please request pickups at least 1 hour prior to Ferry departure �me ǁǁǁ͘ƌĞďĞůƚŽƵƌƐ͘ĐŽŵ͘ĂƵ Please note: Please be aware that we will have ferries to meet EVERY QANTAS and SKYTRANS flight from /ŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ͗ ƉůĞĂƐĞ ƌĞƋƵĞƐƚ ƉŝĐŬƵƉƐ Ăƚ ůĞĂƐƚ ϭ ŚŽƵƌ ƉƌŝŽƌ ƚŽ &ĞƌƌLJ ĚĞƉĂƌƚƵƌĞ ƚŝŵĞ Cairns. If you can not see a ferry that suits your flight please CALL the office on 4069 1586.

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Office hours are Monday to Friday - 08:00 - 17:00 - Please consider these hours to make bookings - our office is not manned outside of these ŽŽŬŝŶŐƐ ĂƌĞ ĞƐƐĞŶƚŝĂů ĨŽƌ ϭϴ͗ϬϬͬϭϴ͗ϭϬ ĨĞƌƌLJ DŽŶͲ&ƌŝ͕ ĂŶĚ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ Ϭϲ͗ϭϱͬϬϲ͗ϮϬ Θ ϭϯ͗ϰϱͬϭϰ͗ϬϬ hours and we can not look up bookings or emails. We answer the phone whilst the ferry is running, but please try to book during office hours.

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Gap and see sustained progress over the life of the National Agreement. “Our measures are going to be more specific and more targeted, making real impacts that complement work underway in states and territories, and back-in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations to lead work in their communities. “Every day, we get better at working together with our jurisdictional partners and with First Nations communities and this Implementation Plan is our commitment to improve life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” The plans detail each parties’ responsibility in the next steps forward aimed at strengthening partnerships between government and Aboriginal communitycontrolled organisations. Assistant Minister Malarndirri McCarthy

said the plan would “help turn the tide”. “The substantial investment in clean drinking water, remote housing and food security will be a gamechanger for so many Indigenous Australians who live out in bush communities,” she said. “Together, this comprehensive support will help build stronger families and communities today, and ensure future generations can get the best start to life and achieve their full potential. “Indigenous Australians know the challenges and opportunities facing them more than anyone else and it is so important that decision-making and ownership is taken over the policies affecting their communities.” The Commonwealth’s Implementation Plan is available on the National Indigenous Australians Agency’s website www.

niaa.gov.au/ctg

New measures in the 2023 Implementation Plan include: 1. $150 million over four years to support First Nations water infrastructure and provide safe and reliable water for remote and regional Indigenous communities through the National Water Grid Fund. This will be targeted at communities that currently do not have access to clean drinking water. 2. $111.7 million Commonwealth contribution to a new one-year partnership with the Northern Territory Government to accelerate building of new remote housing, targeted at addressing the worst over-crowding. 3. $11.8 million over two years for the National Strategy for Food Security in remote First Nations communities. This is about making essential food more affordable and accessible in remote communities. 4. Continued funding of $68.6 million over two years for Family Violence and Prevention Legal Service providers to deliver legal and non-legal support to women and children experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence. 5. $21.9 million over five years to Support Families impacted by family violence and at risk of engaging in the child protection system, through delivery of seven place-based, trauma-aware and culturally responsive healing programs aimed at early intervention and recovery, and keeping families together. 6. $38.4 million over four years to boost On-Country Education for remote First Nations students. This includes greater access to junior rangers and more choice for families of culturally appropriate distance learning. 7. $21.6 million to support quality boarding for rural and remote students for an additional year.