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A construction company that allegedly built a toilet on Aboriginal land while working on the Northern Territory Emergency Response is expected to plead guilty to charges of desecrating a sacred site.

Alice Springs-based company S and R Building and Construction is facing charges of entering a sacred site, carrying out work and desecrating the site at Numbulwar, about 600 kilometres south-east of Darwin.

Today, the Darwin Magistrates Court heard that charges against individuals would likely be dropped and the company would plead guilty in February.

Prosecutor Georgia McMaster says community members may want to come to court to hear the plea and she was collecting victim impact statements.

Together the charges carry a maximum penalty of more than $500,000.

The Federal Court has recognised native title rights for almost 15,000 hectares of land south of Cairns in far north Queensland.

The declaration recognises the Dulabed and Malanbarra Yidinji people’s exclusive native title rights to 6,500 hectares of unallocated state land.

It also includes non-exclusive rights over almost 10,000 hectares of reserves and national parks.

Gaye Sculthorpe from the National Native Title Tribunal says the first claim for the land was made 14 years ago.

“It has taken quite a number of years to get to this point and it shows the persistence and determination that is required to get to this point from the claim group’s point of view, state and the other parties,” she said.

“You know there are other claims in the north Queensland region that are still going through the process.”

Ms Sculthorpe says the decision marks the 84th determination made in Australia.

“It’s a very emotional time,” she said.

“They’ve been attached to their country for years and now their attachment has been publicly recognised by the Federal Court so that’s a wonderful thing to have that wider recognition in Australian law.”

A new central Australian-based research organisation has secured $32 million from the Federal Government to help close the gap in Indigenous disadvantage.

The Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation will get the funding over the next seven years for three main areas.

They include strengthening regional economies across remote Australia, building new enterprises and improving remote education and training.

The centre’s managing director, Jan Ferguson, says the new organisation will also build on projects pioneered by the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre.

“It’s highly focused on creating economic opportunities for the bush,” she said.

“We create a lot of the wealth for Australia but we don’t always get the benefit here and so this is looking at how we maintain a lot more of that benefit in remote locations and obviously our wealth creation gets better.”

Hundreds of children from a remote community at Doomadgee, in Queensland’s Gulf country, were all smiles this week when Santa dropped by and delivered 400 presents.

The Member for Mount Isa, Betty Kiernan, says the event at Doomadgee is organised by the community every year.

She says the gifts are tagged for each child, so no-one misses out.

“Under the undercover area at the Doomadgee rec grounds there were around 400 … faces anticipating presents from Santa and I have got to say that I have never seen 400 kids so well behaved in such an area and it was just wonderful … it was wonderful to see,” she said.

“Watching the kids today and just being there and being with them … [it] doesn’t matter where you live or how you live in this world, the anticipation of Santa Claus and the presents is … one of wonderment, it’s just been a real great day.”

Eight young Indigenous people also graduated from the Doomadgee Rural Project and 16 new apprentices will work on the extensive housing program over the next five years.

Ms Kiernan says there is a real sense of hope, achievement and future in Doomadgee.

“I see Doomadgee completely different [to what] others see … it is the community that absolutely wants to move forward and not only for the adults in the community but for the children of the community there’s a great sense, a great spirit,” she said.

“We presented graduation certificates, we acknowledged apprentices.”

ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope says he does not think a genealogical study will resolve the dispute over traditional ownership of Canberra.

Competing claims by the Ngambri and Ngunnawal people have fuelled confusion over ownership.

The Government recently agreed to formally recognise the Ngunnawal people as the traditional owners.

Mr Stanhope says the Government will fund a genealogical study because the Ngunnawal Elders Council wants one.

“I guess I’m just expressing a significant concern I have about the usefulness the utility and capacity of genealogy to resolve these problems,” he said.

“There’s this expectation, I believe an unbelievable expectation, this will resolve all the issues, I fear it will exacerbate the issues.”

ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope says he wants school principals in the Territory to lift their game on the performance of their Indigenous students.

The Assembly’s Health Community and Social Services committee has heard Indigenous students in ACT schools are still under-performing and dropping out earlier than their non-Indigenous counterparts.

Mr Stanhope says the Territory is making some improvements, but he wants schools to monitor the performance of their Indigenous students more closely.

“With 1,000 children across 90 schools I would expect every principal I would expect every principal at every one of those schools to be able to tell me the names of every Indigenous pupil at their school and to know on a daily basis what their educational performance and standard is,” he said.

Residents of a remote Kimberley community say lives are being put at risk because they have been without water and power for 2 months.

Residents say the only generator in Ngamakoon broke down 8 weeks ago.

They say they have been driving more than 20 kilometres a day to collect water from the nearby Djarindjin community.

Djarindjin CEO Andy McGaw says it is a dangerous situation with day time temperatures hovering around 40 degrees.

“It’s very difficult physically to cope with that sort of heat particularly for the elderly and the young,” he said.

77-year-old Paul Sampi and his wife say the conditions are degrading.

“We have to live here, we have a grandson buried here so me and my wife don’t ever have to leave he place,” he said.

The Federal Department for Indigenous Affairs has been contacted for comment.

The Torres Strait is a long way from Brisbane.

That’s obvious, of course, but that’s the point of Premier Anna Bligh being here.

Island communities can lobby governments from afar and local members and even ministers can drop in, but there’s nothing better than having the boss here to see for herself.

Distance – vast distance – makes almost everything scarcer and more expensive.

Need some milk? Nearly $5 at the island store. Want to send an email? Don’t hold your breath – it’ll make it, but read a chapter of a book while it’s sending. Two, if there’s an attachment.

Housing, policing, sport and recreation – all these services are more problematic when just flying to the next island takes half an hour and costs a couple of hundred dollars.

None of this is new. But Premiers don’t get to these parts very often, so when they do, the locals make the most of it.

Lobbying

Even before she got to the Strait, Ms Bligh was lobbied passionately by Viv Sinnamon, the manager of the Kowanyama Aboriginal Land and Natural Resource Centre.

The centre is getting a new home for its precious collection of historical artefacts, but Mr Sinnamon made sure the Premier wouldn’t forget the ongoing needs of such a facility.

On Sunday night in Weipa, local artists proudly showed their work to the touring party – including noted Brisbane collector Phillip Bacon, who’d accepted the Premier’s invitation to see the region’s artistic output.

Then to the Strait.

On Warraber Island (which used to be known as Sue – all the islands have alternative names to trap ignorant city journalists), Ms Bligh, ministers Desley Boyle, Karen Struthers and Neil Roberts and local member Jason O’Brien were welcomed with unfailing courtesy, prayers, dancing children and a huge meal.

The Premier also received a traditional gift – a basket for her husband to collect food, and a broom for her to clean up after him – that’s what they actually said – with tongue slightly in cheek.

Political jokes followed, about a clean sweep – is a Cabinet reshuffle now on the cards for the new year?

The Torres Strait Island Regional Council – one of the two post-amalgamation councils in the region – wasted no time that afternoon.

They impressed Ms Bligh with their preparation and issues management.

Every problem had a suggested solution, every detail of the three hour forum was managed with precision, not to waste a moment of the opportunity.

Horn Island

On Horn Island, where mobile phones worked again, the Premier unveiled three signs at the airport – this took an hour.

Nothing happens too quickly here and these were important signs for the local Kaurareg Traditional Owners.

Another feast followed that night with local elders on Horn, but not what you might have expected.

No dugong or turtle, but a Chinese buffet, fried rice and all.

Tuesday, an even smaller plane and a one-hour flight to Darnley Island (also known as Erub). The itinerary was tight. The itinerary went out the door. If you live on Erub and have a marvellous new arts centre to the show the Premier, you’re not letting her go without speeches, singing, dancing and prayers. And of course food.

Politely as possible, the VIPs say goodbye, fly back to Horn and rush down to the jetty for a brisk water taxi journey across to Hammond Island.

Courtesy here is unflagging – the Premier is met and formally greeted by local elders, including the wonderful John Mills, resplendent in the most remarkable pair of purple trousers.

Hammond Island

On Hammond, the itinerary was tight. The itinerary went out the door. If you live on Hammond and have a new Indigenous knowledge centre, you’re not letting the Premier go without speeches, singing, dancing and prayers.

Not to mention giving her one of the more peculiar tasks of her trip – daubing talcum powder on the young men who were performing traditional dance in the blazing sun.

More food, of course, and a walk up a hill to see Australia’s most beautifully positioned church, overlooking the incomparably blue Torres Strait waters.

Dash back to the water taxi, a formal farewell from Mr Mills and his fantastic pants, and across to Thursday Island for another council forum.

Tuesday night, more dancing, and more food. These communities are proud to host the Premier, and proud to share their culture with her.

The councillors aren’t silly. They may live in a remote place, but their lobbying and political skills are sophisticated.

They need funding and resources and they’re concerned about climate change and rising sea levels. Ms Bligh leaves here with these messages ringing loudly in her ears.

I’ll be back, she tells them.

Senator Mark Arbib launched a report in Broken Hill yesterday into child health, development and wellbeing in far western New South Wales.

The report, prepared by Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation and the Far West Aboriginal Child Development and Wellbeing Management Group, focuses on the gap between Indigenous children compared to other children across the state.

It shows immunisation and breastfeeding rates are on par with the rest of the state, but more children are victims of crime.

Cathy Dyer from Maari Ma says the point of doing the study is to try to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children.

“We’re looking at the children as they’re the ones that if we can protect their health early on, later on we will be able to close the gap, so some of those health statistics around breastfeeding rates and immunisation and good antenatal care and we can say yes, we are actually achieving in that area,” she said.

Indigenous and Samoan leaders have met on Brisbane’s northside in an attempt to stop what they say is an increasing number of attacks on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The ‘Unity in Community ‘ meeting came in response to racial tension in some southside suburbs.

Indigenous elders say more must be done to prevent the spread of violence.

Aboriginal smoking ceremonies are said to ensure clear minds and good decisions and that’s what the Indigenous leaders and Samoan elders were hoping when they met this week.

Alex Davidson, an Aboriginal elder from the Bud-Ja Djan Men’s Council said, “I hope we can get a bit of satisfaction out of what we talk about today.”

Samoan elder, Hennamen Hunt agreed, “The opportunity to be able to live together is our priority.”

The two groups of elders and community leaders from Zillmere, Brachenridge, Sandgate, Deagan, Redcliffe and Caboolture hope the talks will prevent violence from erupting between the two communities in the northern suburbs.

Elders say racial tension in the Logan area on Brisbane’s southside, has escalated after the murder of 39-year-old Richard Saunders last year.

There were angry scenes outside a bail hearing of nine males. This week, they were commited for trial.

Alex Davidson says the racial tension is having an impact on the community.

“What concerns us, is what’s not being reported and this is our young people are running in the streets, afraid to go to school, afraid to go to the shops and we believe we’re facing a crisis.”

The elder says the community fears that racially motivated attacks could spread.

“We’re trying to get the jump on it on the Northside and trying to get something in place where we can show these other communities what we can achieve out of it.”

But he says the Government also needs to step in to help solve the issue.

“We hope to get some outcomes out of this that will make the Government sit up and take notice. We’re calling on the State and Federal Government this is out of hand and I imagine it’s not just happening here in Queensland it’s happening all over the place, let’s do something about it.”

Hennamen Hunt said more resources should be commmitted to helping the communities settle the tesnions down, but it’s also up to the leaders of both communities to make a change.

“There’s a different mentality that our young ones have now, the respect has gone out the door, the opportunity to share and to give that’s no longer there. So the task that we have now in our journey is to help our younger ones and we need to work with them.”

“The thing we need to understand is how can we work together to make things healthy for the community but strong for each community.”

Community liaison officer, Sergeant Richard Clark of the Queensland Police says a simlar program in the Redcliffe district has been successful.

“By these people taking this step today, I think its a step in the right direction. They’re addressing something before it escalates.”

The communities will sign an agreement to work together to prevent violence.