Marpuna Community Aboriginal Corporation

Project location is QLD, Old Mapoon via Weipa, Cape York.

We want to create employment and training opportunities for local indigenous community members and to to build a sustainable community.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

We want to create agriculture, forestry and fishing businesses that are Indigenous from top to bottom. We want to see more Indigenous Traineeships for young local indigenous residents.

Shops

We want to ensure that our store is managed by an Indigenous person. We want to see Indigenous retail workers supported through traineeships and encouraged by their managers. We want to see pathways for other local Indigenous people to rise up to management levels. We want to ensure that there is a local retail outlet for healthy food because many of our people do not have the ability to get transport into retail outlets like Woolworhts in Weipa. We want to see many of our people having the opportunity for retail training.

Housing

We want our local housing to be built by Indigenous people with apprenticeships and job opportunities for local residents.

Art Services

Arts and Crafts was supported through CDEP but now local artists are not being encouraged or supported. We want to ensure there are grants to support and encourage local artists.

More Employment and Training Opportunities

Employment and training opportunities for local people needs to be a high priority. We want to see our people have a range of employment and training opportunities to choose from. Our people also need mentoring to help them take up opportunities. We want to see more employment options with wage assistance for important tasks within our community. We want Centrelink to be more pro-active in helping our corporation to use existing programs to help our people. Without job opportunities our young residents lose the opportunity to become role-models and encourage others within their community.

Land Management

We want to see our local rangers given the funds to be able to actively manage, care and preserve their local land.

Community Development Employment Program

We want Marpuna Corporation to operate CDEP in the community and we need assistance to ensure that we have fulfilled the statutory and corporate requirements to ensure that we can become the service provider for CDEP in the Mapoon Community when the contract becomes available. Negotiation towards acquirement of Corporation Assets from Council

The Corporation requires legal assistance to verify what rights the corporation has towards community assets, projects and programs and the best approach to negotiating with the Council on re-obtaining those assets, projects and programs. In managing community assets our aim is to encourage local community residents (students, school leavers, mature aged, short and long term unemployed and job ready talent) looking to advance, change careers and support their local community.

The financial Assistance we require for the Corporation to start-up is as follows:

Capital Requirements

- Vehicle (4WD) - Office space (Land & Sea Building) - Computer, phone, fax, printer, filing cabinet, desk (bare essentials for one person to work in the office) - Legal representation Recurrent Funding

Salary for a CEO
Salary for an Office Administrator
Local Traineeships
Other Funding Requirments

Governance Training
Business Development Strategy
Retention, sourcing and placement of local candidates
Pre-employment training for local employees
Indigenous mentoring support for employees
The Directors of the Corporation are local senior residents who want to see a better community. In order for this movement forward funding is required to employ someone to begin researching, co-ordination and advising the directors of implementation options of what is required for the corporation to run efficiently internally. This may include, but is not limited to the following:

o Ensure the Corporation is compliant under their Constitution and also complying with any funding that is approved;
o Administrative processes e.g. Policies and Procedures;
o Research and report on financial capability for employment transition;
o Identify opportunities (roles). Developing business case, recommendations and a Local Action Plan for the Community;
o AGM to be held to ensure memberships and number of directors are in compliance with Constitution;
o Ensure elected Board of Directors attend Governance Training.

Project description: 
Help us to establish an exciting new community enterprise at Old Marpoon via Weipa. We need your support!
Lead Organisation: 
Marpuna Community Aboriginal Corporation
Contact Name: 
Georgina Blanco
Contact Email: 
georginablanco@hotmail.com
Support Type: 
Start-up Funding

Funding Amount:

Region: 
Queensland - Cape York