Emver Partners

13/10/2026

Incredible project and one which will shape the regions Economic Development into the future.

Proud to have been a part of the project team and grateful for the time of community, council and councilors.

TSIRC identifies 75 potential pathways for economic development across the outer islands.

Council is making steady progress on phase two of its Economic Development Strategic Action Plan. Funded by Torres Strait Regional Authority, Council has worked with Emver Partners in the last few months to meet with small businesses, stakeholders, community members, leaders and Prescribed Body Corporation (PBC) Chairs across the region. These conversations gave people an opportunity to share their ideas, priorities and aspirations for the economic future of our 15 communities.

👉🏿 Read the full story: https://tsirc.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/turning-community-ideas-into-economic-opportunities/

10/10/2026

09/09/2026

Show me a better way to start a work day...

Bluewater Highway turning it on this morning between Badu Island and Thursday Island.

Great way to start the day and finish the island stakeholder sessions as part of the Torres Strait Island Regional Council Economic Development Plan.

Excellent session, amazing sharing of insights and now the heavy lifting begins to translate hours and hours of discussion into a meaningful Plan.

28/08/2026

😇This might be the most important good news story you read all year, and it happened without a press release...

The big news: Dugong and Turtle hunting on Mabuyag will now happen the way it always did, before it didn't. Paupa Thaiyan, the traditional drift method, is the only sanctioned way to hunt dugong there, day or night. Motorised chase hunting is banned, full stop. This is a stretch of sea country 90km from mainland Australia and 80km from Papua New Guinea, with very limited fisheries patrols or oversight, yet for decades the only thing standing between healthy dugong and turtle populations and their collapse has been the word of the Traditional Owners who live there.

That word just got written down, and it carries the force of lore they wrote themselves.

No external regulator wrote that rule, nor was it created to meet external compliance. Buway Mabaygal (Custodians) built it on Traditional Ecological Knowledge carried through story and practice long before Australian fisheries law existed and customary lore is what enforces it.

This is what taking control of country actually looks like. Not a co-management agreement waiting on a government signature but rather a Traditional Owner corporation deciding how its own sea country and marine resources are managed, using knowledge that was never lost and never needed outside validation to begin with.

It is worth saying plainly that this kind of self-determined governance is often more effective than the legislation sitting alongside it. Why? Because it does not depend on a patrol boat ever showing up or external enforcement. But that is a footnote to the real story, not the headline. The headline is that Mabuyag is not waiting for anyone's permission to look after what has always been theirs to look after.

Shared with the direct permission of Mabuygiw Garkaziw Kupay TSI Corporation.

Original link on Facebook available here: https://zurl.co/9aRQH

16/08/2026

Visiting Boigu Island 2 weeks ago, close enough to see PNG across the channel that acts as an international border, I dropped off a bag of donated clothing to the local Clinic team carrying far more than their size suggests.

Boigu sits just 6km from the PNG mainland. Queensland Health clinics here are often the frontline for PNG nationals in urgent need, a quiet but significant load carried by small remote teams with limited resources.

Dropping off our families pre-loved clothing is a small thing on its own, but it's a direct way to put resources into the hands of people doing genuinely hard work in one of the most remote parts of the country, and a small contribution to a more circular local economy.

Thank you to the team at the Clinic for having us. It's a privilege to contribute in even a small way.

13/08/2026

Iama Island yesterday for Phase 2 Economic Development with Torres Strait Island Regional Council was a great session, and also a sharp reminder of a hard truth facing many of our island communities: young people leave for training and education, and often don't come back.

The answer isn't complicated, it's on-island training. Bring the education to the island, wrap it in culture and community, and use digital and online solutions to extend reach where distance is the barrier.

There are rarely easy answers in this work, but it's a privilege to sit with these realities and hear them straight from community.

Thank you Iama for a generous and honest session.

Funded through Torres Strait Regional Authority

12/08/2026

Mabuiag thinking smart on Economic Development last night!

- Taking control of the future.
- Growing what industries they have.
- Identify training needs and skills gaps
- Sustainably introducing new industries.

A great visit and a solid representation of community.

A huge thank you to Councillor Keith Fell for his time and knowledge sharing across the stay as well as his passion towards Economic Development.

Next stop Iama, at 3pm this afternoon.

11/08/2026

Almost ready for the Stakeholder Workshop at Mabuiag Island (Div.4) as part of the Torres Strait Island Regional Council Economic Development strategy we are facilitating.
Community Hall setup and ready to go.
if you are at Mabuiag, come on down at 3pm. 😊

10/08/2026

The Strait Island Regional Council zooms on this week and we are heading to the geographicly central island communities of Iama and Mabuiag.
Both had strong community session in Phase 1 and we are looking forward to hearing from Stakeholders.
Continues thanks to the Strait Regional Authoritywho are funding this important work.

04/08/2026

Boigu Island Phase 2 Economic Development session was held yesterday afternoon and it was a really great opportunity to hear from stakeholders on their islands best pathways for Economic freedom, empowerment and growth.

Boigu also marks and important project milestone in that we are now more than half way through he project.

Thanks again everyone whobattejds our session as well as speaks to us as we move across community.