East Kimberley Land Back to Traditional Owners: The State Government has given back 50,000ha of East Kimberley land to the Miriuwung Gajerrong people, the largest land handback ever to take place in Western Australia. The land parcel, known as Yardungarrl, is located on the WA/Northern Territory border and is home to eight Aboriginal communities. The handover of Yardungarrl is part of the $56million Ord Final Agreement between the State Government and the Miriuwung Gajerrong people. The agreement, signed in October 2005, resolves native title and heritage issues over 65,000ha of East Kimberley land, paving the way for the expansion of the Ord irrigation project and other agricultural, commercial and residential developments. It also includes the transfer of land valued at about $15million to the Miriuwung Gajerrong people over the next 10 years.

Help for Gascoyne Indigenous mothers and newborns: A new culturally sensitive program desgined to support Indigenous families in regional areas and reduce the impact of mental illness after the birth of a child will be trialled in the Carnarvon region. Health Minister Jim McGinty said the $300,000 two year trial would provide support for new mothers and their families. "We know that Indigenous women experiencing anxiety and depression in the perinatal period are not seeking help, especially in the vital time after babies are first born," Mr McGinty said. "This program provides a practical approach to ensuring that these women and their families receive the support they need."

Multi Functional Police Facility on Dampier Peninsula: DIA Regional Officer, Tim Garrett and Legal Officers Lorraine Allen and Lucie Panero attended the open day of the Multi Functional Police Facility on the Dampier Peninsula on 31 August 2007. The opening ceremony was an opportunity for Indigenous communities (from One Arm Point, Djarindjin, Lombadina, Beagle Bay and the Outstations) and service providers (including Customs, Australian Federal Police, TAFE, and the Departments of the Attorney General and Child Protection) to meet informally. The Dampier Peninsula Police opened all doors of the facility for viewing and organized some memorable activities, inlcuding the Welcome to Country by Maureen Angus, reading out of the "Meaning of the Aboriginal Flag" essays by the local students and the singing by the children from the Djarindjin community.

Issues for Local Government - Discussion Paper: A Discussion Paper on local government service delivery to Indigenous communities is being distributed for comment. The paper discusses barriers that impede local government service provision to Indigenous communities, and how to address these. The paper can be accessed from the DIA website here. Feedback on this paper, and comments on related issues, is invited by 2 November 2007.  Please send comments to Mr Trevor Tann via email.

Indigenous Art Community Project: Now is your chance to learn the basic foundations of art and painting through Swan TAFE's Indigenous Art Community Project. You can improve your artistic skills and knowledge and learn what it feels like to have your artwork on display. The course is free of charge and all materials will be supplied. Classes are on Mondays from 9am to 4pm at 64 Champion Drive Armadale (the old PCYC building, next to Westfield Library). For more information call 08 9497 2280 or 08 9497 0930.

Job Vacancy: Cross Cultural Communication Coordinator: Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa, The Martu History and Archive project is looking for a person who can speak a desert language to set up a communications strategy and program in Parnngurr (a remote Western Desert community). For a job description and for more information, please contact Sue Davenport on 0417 690 083 or via email.

Notices for Development under Section 18: To view the latest list of Notices for Developments under Section 18 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972, click here.

Indigenous Ceramic Art Award: The 2007 Indigenous Ceramic Art Awards are now open to Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander artists. The Award was developed by Shepparton Art Gallery to support Indigenous ceramic artists and acknowledge the special industry of ceramic art practise. For more information visit the following website.

Join your local shire council: Local government elections are coming up in October and the Department of Local Government and Regional Development is encouraging Indigenous people to consider joining their local shire council. Information is available, including a booklet "Local Government in Western Australia - A guide for Indigenous communities." For more information contact Lindsay Bridge on 08 9217 1477 or email.

Playwright David Milroy wins prestigious national award: One of Western Australia's leading Indigenous playwright, David Milroy, was recently presented with the 2007 Kate Challis RAKA Award for his play, Windmill Baby. The Award is recognized as Australia's richest and most valuable award for Indigenous cretaive artists. The play Windmill Baby has been presented by the Yirra Yaakin Aboriginal Corporation and has been receiving critical acclaim at major arts festivals in England, Northern Ireland, Canada and India. Yirra Yaakin Executive Producer, Sam Cook commented that "Yirra Yaakin is proud to be taking authentic Indigenous theatre to the world....and present a world class multi-award winning Aboriginal theatre." Yirra Yaakin hopes to tour Windmill Baby to the Kimberley next year. For more information contact Michelle White on 9202 1966.

Fellowship of Australian Writers (WA) Call for Submissions: The Fellowship of Australian Writers in WA (FAWWA) has announced a call fro submissions from all West Australian writers - new, emerging or established - to contirbute to an anthology that is due to be published in early 2008. The anthology, with the working title of "In Good Company," celebrates the 70th anniversary of FAWWA in their role as an organization that encourages, celebrates and promotes West Australian writers. The anthology guest editors, Dr Glen Phillips and Julienne van Loon are looking for submissions ina poetry, fiction or memoir format. Submissions close Monday 15 October 2007 and guidelines for entry are available on the FAWWA website.

Stay on Your Feet Week Launch and Expo: The Injury Control Council of Western Australia (ICCWA) and the Department of Health invites you to the launch and expo of Stay on Your Feet Week on Monday 24 September 2007. Join MC Pip O'Connell for a day of free entertainment, information and activities to assist you with staying active and independent. Some of the highlights for the launch includes, food tasting made by celebrity chef Dale Sniffen, belly dancing and Tai Chi demonstrations and opportunities to talk to a range of health experts present on the day (including physiotherapists, nutritionists and exercise physiologists). The launch and expo is on from 9am - 2.30pm at the Perth Cultural Centre. For more information, please call ICCWA on 9420 7212.

Foster Carers Information Session: For anyone who is interested in becoming foster carers, the Department of Child Protection is running an information session on this topic on Tuesday 18 September 2007 at the Mirrabooka Family Centre (69 Honeywell Boulevard) from 3pm - 5pm. For more information, please contact Carol Ryder on 9344 9666.

Applications for National Youth Roundtable Open: All young Australian aged 15 to 24 years with a range of experiences and from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply to be part of the National Youth Roundtable (Roundtable) 2008. The Roundtable is the Australian Government's youth consultation mechanism, bringing together young people to discuss issues that have an impact on youth. In retrospect, this program provides the Commonwealth with access to the views of a diverse group of young people on various issues that are of interest to the Australian Government and relevant to its policies. Applications close on Thursday 18 October 2007. For more information and to download an application package, please visit the following website.

HR In Focus: Do you feel as though you are being bullied at work? What is bullying and how can it be resolved? For more information go to Bullying in the Workplace.

Positions vacant at DIA: There are a number of vacancies at the Department. To view the position details, please visit the employment section of the DIA website here.