Country, Culture, People, Future

Yamatji Region News

Northampton COVID Vaccination Clinic

Posted: March 28th, 2022

Free COVID-19 adult, child and booster vaccinations will be available to Northampton residents, at the RSL Hall on the new date of 1 April.

All people aged 5 and over are eligible to receive their free COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine.

COVID-19 Boosters are now available for people aged 16+, three months after your second dose.

Walk-ins are welcomed. Children aged 5-16 need to be accompanied by a parent, carer or adult and must book.

Click here to book your vaccination

Click here to view the poster and FAQ’s sheet.

CATSI Amendment Bill needs your feedback

Posted: July 9th, 2021

The Australian Government is bringing forward a Bill to amend the CATSI Act in line with recommendations made in the CATSI Act Review final report, released early this year.

The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) is seeking your feedback on a draft of the CATSI Amendment Bill which has been published on the National Indigenous Australians Agency website.

Accompanying the exposure draft is a guide that maps the recommendations from the final report to the items of the exposure draft. Fact sheets are also available that outline the draft changes in each part of the CATSI Amendment Bill.

The NIAA would like feedback from stakeholders about those aspects of the Bill they support, in addition to any concerns regarding practical barriers or unintended consequences associated with implementation. The NIAA is also interested in feedback on the clarity, readability and complexity of the draft legislation.

Written submissions to CATSIActReview@niaa.gov.au can be sent until 9:00am Monday, 9 August 2021. Or you can register to attend a virtual consultation session here.

Please contact the team at CATSIActReview@niaa.gov.au or on (02) 6271 5111, if the consultation options are not accessible to you so that we can arrange an alternative mechanism for you to provide feedback.

What does Heal Country mean to you? Sean McNeair tells us

Posted: July 8th, 2021

Sean McNeair is a Malgana man from Gutharraguda, Shark Bay. His message in this video covers only a small part of what healing and caring for Country means for Sean.

We ask you to take one minute of time to watch, listen, learn, think, and share – what does Heal Country mean to you?

Thanks to Ben Pankhurst from Bush Heritage for sharing some of his vision to be used in this video.

#healcountry #heritageprotectionforlife#naidocweek2021 #naidocweek #bushheritage #YMAC

Celebrating NAIDOC Week – Heal Country

Posted: July 6th, 2021

This year’s national NAIDOC theme, Heal Country! calls for everyone to continue to recognise the uniqueness of our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and seek greater protections and for Aboriginal cultural heritage.

The right to protect Country and culture is fundamental.

At Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation, YMAC, ‘Heal Country’ perfectly describes the goal that our work aims to achieve.

Everyone has a role to play in healing Country. YMAC strongly believes one key part of this process is reform of the laws underpinning heritage protection – including Western Australia’s Aboriginal Heritage Act (1972). We have been actively advocating for planned new heritage laws to Legislate the right to say ‘no’, consultation rights and the need for Aboriginal heritage to be considered early in a development process and continue to be considered as new information comes to light, both before and after agreements have been made.

The proposed new legislation – the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill – represents a once-in-a generation opportunity to make sure Aboriginal cultural heritage gets the recognition it deserves, and to find the right balance between heritage protection and economic outcomes for all parties.

During NAIDOC Week we will share what ‘Heal Country’ means to some of our members and important advocates.

We encourage you to share pictures of your Country and let us at YMAC know, what does ‘Heal Country’ mean to you.

Don’t forget to tag us in your posts!

And if you or someone you know has a special story you would like to share please email us at editor@ymac.org.au so we can get in touch.

YMAC supports new First Nations Talent Portal

Posted: June 21st, 2021

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has launched its First Nations Talent Portal. The portal represents the ABC’s commitment to undertaking braver, more impactful action.

As it grows, the portal will become an invaluable resource for the ABC by enabling story-makers and content producers access to the right people for their projects.

YMAC supports the ABC’s commitment to amplifying the voices of First Nations people across their projects from behind the scenes to in front of the camera. This is a positive step to responsibly and appropriately representing Aboriginal culture and history.

We encourage First Nations people to connect directly to the ABC by submitting an interest directly through the Talent Portal.

Register for the 2021 Australian Reconciliation Convention

Posted: June 17th, 2021

The 2021 Australian Reconciliation Convention is a once-in-a-generation event.

With an ever-growing community of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians willing to discuss, learn and recommit to the next steps in Australia’s reconciliation journey, this event aims to propel the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action.

It will include interactive sessions, storytelling, and performances, covering the breadth and depth of how, as a nation, we are moving from safe to brave.

The event will be delivered over two days from Monday 15 November at the International Convention Centre in Sydney and is also available virtually.

2021 marks twenty years of Reconciliation Australia and almost three decades of the Australian formal reconciliation process. Over this time, support and engagement with reconciliation has steadily grown, with far greater awareness of the complexity and magnitude of First Nations cultures and knowledges.

In 2021, reconciliation is more than just raising awareness and knowledge.

If you would like to join the conversation and be part of this landmark event, register before 2 July to take advantage of early-bird pricing.

Aboriginal History Western Australia – Family History Information Sessions – Geraldton

Posted: June 8th, 2021

The Aboriginal History WA (AHWA) team will be holding family history information sessions in Geraldton in June.

You can join Duane Kelly from Aboriginal History WA for free to learn about the many records held at the State Records Office for Aboriginal people research their family history. Dates and times are displayed in the picture or click here .

To register please call Duane on 08 9427 3473, or email duane.kelly@dlgsc.wa.gov.au

Register to attend YMAC meetings on 10, 11 and 14 June about draft Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill

Posted: June 4th, 2021

Representatives from Prescribed Bodies Corporate and Traditional Owners from YMAC’s representative region are invited to attend meetings to discuss the draft Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill.

YMAC believes there is great risk that should the draft bill circulated in 2020 be adopted, Aboriginal people will continue to take the backseat in critical decisions about important cultural sites. Consultation on the draft bill has been poor and YMAC is concerned Traditional Owners have limited or no understanding of the draft laws.

Agenda includes:

  • YMAC update on advocacy work undertaken on the bill to date,
  • Discuss outstanding concerns about the draft bill that may negatively impact Traditional Owners if the draft bill in the form distributed in 2020 goes through.
  • Discuss action to achieve equity for Traditional Owners in the new laws.

Note: The Pilbara meetings have been called for by concerned Pilbara Traditional Owners and will also include discussion on working together to better protect heritage in the region.

Meetings are being facilitated by YMAC on the following dates.

  • Thursday 10 June – Karratha: 9:30am to 2pm at the Red Earth Arts Precinct, 27 Welcome Road Karratha
  • Friday 11 June – Port Hedland: 9:30am to 2pm in the Ocean Room at the Hedland Hotel, Cnr Lukis and McGregor Street, Port Hedland
  • Monday 14 June – Carnarvon: 9:30am to 2pm, Wool Shed Hall, 21 Robinson Street, Carnarvon

To assist catering please RSVP to jmitchell@ymac.org.au or call YMAC on 1800 270 709 to find out more.

YMAC News Issue 42 available now

Posted: May 7th, 2021

The latest edition of YMAC News is now available on our website. To read it or download it, click here.

Country is our mother, the provider and keeper of cultural belongings. Country and Culture go together. You can’t have one without the other.

Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners and custodians throughout Western Australia, and on whose Country we work. We acknowledge and respect their deep connection to their lands and waterways.

We honour and pay respect to Elders, and to their ancestors who survived and cared for Country.

Our offices are located on Whadjuk Country, Southern Yamatji Country, Yinggarda Country, Kariyarra Country, and Yawuru Country. We recognise the continuing culture, traditions, stories and living cultures on these lands and commit to building a brighter future together.

Disclaimer: Caution: Please be advised that this website may contain images, voices and names of deceased people.

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