Community Information Sessions

PURPOSE OF THE COMMUNITY INFORMATION SESSIONS

Commencing early April, the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council Aboriginal Corporation (SWALSC) will convene sixteen community information sessions throughout the south west to provide information on the implementation of the Noongar settlement agreement. These are not decision-making meetings, they are informational only.

These sessions will cover the agreement and transition process. Multiple meetings will be held for each of the six Noongar agreement group areas and you only need to attend one of the meetings.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

The community information sessions are open to all Noongar people, including those who are not members of SWALSC. You must only attend the community information sessions for the agreement group areas that you identify with.

Meeting dates

Each Noongar agreement group area will have multiple sessions in a few different places. There will be multiple sessions for each agreement group, but the content presented will be the same at each so you only need to attend one.

All meetings are from 10am till 4pm.

WAGYL KAIP AND SOUTHERN NOONGAR MEETINGS

KATANNING Wednesday, 7 April
Katanning Leisure Centre, 4 Pemble St, Katanning

ALBANY Thursday, 8 April
Centennial Stadium, 156 Lockyer Ave, Albany

PERTH Thursday, 15 April
Mills Park Centre, 86 Brixton St, Beckenham

SOUTH WEST BOOJARAH MEETINGS

BUSSELTON Monday, 12 April
Esplanade Hotel, 30-38 Marine Tce, Busselton

MANJIMUP Tuesday, 13 April
The Roundhouse, 80 Rose St, Manjimup

PERTH Thursday, 22 April
Mills Park Centre, 86 Brixton St, Beckenham

YUED MEETINGS

MOORA Monday, 19 April
Moora Recreation Centre, Roberts St, Moora

PERTH Tuesday, 20 April
Mills Park Centre, 86 Brixton St, Beckenham

GNAALA KARLA BOOJA MEETINGS

BUNBURY Wednesday, 28 April
SW Italian Club, 13 – 19 White St, East Bunbury

NARROGIN Thursday, 29 April
John Higgins Community Centre, 50 Clayton Rd

PERTH Thursday, 6 May
Mills Park Centre, 86 Brixton St, Beckenham

WHADJUK MEETINGS

CANNINGTON Monday, 3 May
Mills Park Centre, 86 Brixton St Beckenham

BIBRA LAKE Wednesday, 5 May
Wetlands Centre, 184 Hope Rd, Bibra Lake

BALLARDONG MEETINGS

BROOKTON Monday, 10 May
WB Eva Pavilion, Brookton Highway, Brookton

KELLERBERRIN Tuesday, 11 May
Kellerberrin Rec Centre, 94 Massingham St

PERTH Thursday, 13 May
Mills Park Centre, 86 Brixton St, Beckenham

AGENDA ITEMS

10.00AM WELCOME AND APOLOGIES

• Nomination and appointment of Chair

• Opening and welcome

• Acknowledgements and one minute silence

• Code of conduct

10.10AM

• Introduction and meeting protocols

• Photographs and video permission

• Importance of feedback on the meeting

10.20AM TRANSITION PROCESS

• Timeline of settlement agreement

10.40AM REGIONAL CORPORATIONS

• Rule book workshop feedback

• Cultural advice policy

• Interim directors—nomination, appointment and role

• Membership drive

12.30 LUNCH

1.00PM NOONGAR BOODJA TRUST UPDATE

• Trust effective date

• Terms of trust deed, including trustee remuneration

• Noongar Advisory Company and trust committees

2.30PM CENTRAL SERVICES CORPORATION (CSC)

• CSC transition program

• Draft CSC cultural consultation policy

• Membership drive

• Staff recruitment

• CSC rule book

• CSC report

3.45PM GENERAL BUSINESS

• Question and answers

• Next steps

4.00PM MEETING CLOSED

Light refreshments will be provided at the sessions.

If you have any queries about the community information sessions, please contact the SWALSC office on (08) 9358 7400.

We look forward to seeing you at this important community information session.

Baldivis Farms Information Meeting

INFORMATION MEETING

An information meeting is being held for all Noongar people on Wednesday, 31 March 2021 regarding Noongar opportunities at Baldivis Farms.

BACKGROUND

Baldivis Farms is located on Eighty Road, Baldivis and consists of a greenhouse, packing shed and 21.7 hectares of irrigated agricultural land in the Gnaala Karla Booja agreement group area. The Commonwealth’s Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC) purchased Baldivis Farms in 2020 and leased the greenhouse to Abundance Fresh Farms Pty Ltd (AFF) in September 2020.

Abundance Fresh Farms is owned by Abundance Produce Australia Pty Ltd (80%) and the Aboriginal Housing Recovery Centre Limited (20%). 

Abundance Produce is a majority owned Aboriginal agriculture and food supply business established in 2014 and has a 12,000sqm distribution centre in Canning Vale. It supplies and supports some of Australia’s largest companies such as Coles, Woolworths, Compass, Sodexo, Civeo, Brightwater and Qantas, and ten per cent of its workforce are Indigenous people.

The ILSC’s intention is to divest its interest in Baldivis Farms to an eligible Aboriginal community controlled entity.

PURPOSE OF THE INFORMATION 

The purpose of the meeting is to provide information to Noongar people regarding Baldivis Farms and consult with the Gnaala Karla Booja people regarding divestment of the properties. No decisions will be made at the meeting.

All Noongar people are welcome to attend but consultation regarding the divestment of Baldivis Farms will be restricted to those people identifying as Gnaala Karla Booja Noongar people, as defined in Gnaala Karla Booja Native Title Agreement Group Description - from Gnaala Karla Booja Indigenous Land Use Agreement (Schedule 2) of the Gnaala Karla Booja Indigenous Land Use Agreement.

WHERE

• Carnaby Hall, Mary Davies Library and Community Centre, 17 Settlers Avenue, BALDIVIS WA 6107 (map)

WHEN

• 11.30am - 2.00pm, Wednesday, 31 March 2021 

AGENDA 

1. The acquisition and ownership of Baldivis Farms (ILSC and SWALSC)

2. The management of Baldivis Farms and employment opportunities (Abundance Fresh Farms)

3. Consultation about the divestment of Baldivis Farms to an eligible Aboriginal community controlled entity (ILSC and SWALSC)

4. Visit to Baldivis Farms, Eighty Road, Baldivis (optional and own transport required). Directions and instructions on visiting Baldivis Farms will be provided at the meeting. (Abundance Fresh Farms)

Light refreshments provided. 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions there are limitations at the venue on the number of people able to attend the meeting. Priority will be given to Gnaala Karla Booja Noongar people and then to other Noongar people on a first arrived basis.

This meeting is facilitated by South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council Aboriginal Corporation (SWALSC), Abundance Fresh Farms and the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation.

Regional corporation rule book workshops

The next round of community meetings will be rule book workshops to consult with each of the six Noongar agreement groups about the name of their regional corporation and its rule book.

The rule book sets out the name of the corporation and governs how a corporation can be run—for example, how to elect directors and hold valid meetings. Having a rule book that is carefully followed and works well for a regional corporation is essential to maintaining good governance.

The rule book workshops will be convened for consultation purposes only, therefore no decisions will be made at the workshops. The purpose of the workshops is to assist the agreement groups to make amendments where necessary to ensure the draft rule books are relevant and reflect the agreement groups’ current aspirations. A series of community information meetings will follow the workshops to explain the draft rule books and other matters.

The rule book workshops are open to all Noongar people including those Noongar people who are not members of the SWALSC. As the workshops will be discussing the rule books for each regional corporation, you must only attend the meetings for the agreement group areas that you identify with. Light refreshments will be provided at the workshops.

If you have any queries about the rule book workshops please contact our office on (08) 9358 7400.

Wagyl Kaip & Southern Noongar rule book workshop

• 10am - 3pm, Tuesday, 16 March 2021.

South West Boojarah rule book workshop

• 10am - 3pm, Wednesday, 17 March 2021.

Ballardong rule book workshop

• 10am - 3pm, Monday, 22 March 2021.

Yued rule book workshop

• 10am - 3pm, Tuesday 23 March 2021.

Gnaala Karla Booja rule book workshop

• 10am - 3pm, Thursday, 18 March 2021.

Whadjuk rule book workshop

• 10am - 3pm, Wednesday, 24 March 2021.

Further details about the locations and agendas for rule book workshops, are found at the links in the calendar above.