Queensland Minister for Environment Leeanne Enoch

Looking After Country Grants Recipients Announced

Victor P Taffa

11 of Queensland’s Indigenous communities will share in more than $720 000 in State Government funding to support their crucial work to protect and care for Country.

Minister for Environment Leeanne Enoch has congratulated the grant recipients for receiving funding up to $75,000 per project in the latest round of the Looking after Country Grants.

“This funding round will support environmental and cultural heritage conservation projects across the State, in locations stretching from Beachmere in south east Queensland to Shelburne Bay on Cape York Peninsula.” Minister Enoch said.

“These projects will deliver conservation activities in some of Queensland’s most iconic locations and will include traditional burning, pest, weed and animal control, cultural heritage mapping and data collection, and development of country management plans.”

Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation project will implement an Indigenous community-based strategy of location, identification and documenting 50 middens between Beachmere and the Noosa River.

Project aims to train local First Nations people to monitor, analyse and interpret these cultural features, which will go towards a Cert 3 in Cultural Heritage Management.

Gunggari Native Title Aboriginal Corporation RTNBC will focus on growing the cultural identity of the Gunggari Nation in south west Queensland. With the grant of $74,191 a cultural heritage archive will be created, and processes developed to manage Gunggari cultural heritage and access to country.

Butchulla Men’s Business Aboriginal Association will use their $75,000 grant to record more than 30 Butchulla Cultural Heritage sites and work to conserve Butchulla assets.

A Cultural Heritage Officer will be engaged to empower the community to undertake Caring for Country and re-establish a connection to country and pride in culture.