Cherbourg’s councillors represented the community at a state-wide forum for First Nations leaders in Cairns last month.
After last year hosting the Local Government Association of Queensland’s Indigenous Leaders Forum in community, in 2026 it was Cairns’s turn to hold the meeting.
Once more, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders from the state’s 17 First Nations communities convened, this time at the Pullman International in Far North Queensland.
Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council mayor Bruce Simpson, chief executive officer Chatur Zala, and each of the local government organisation’s four councillors made the trip to Cairns on 29 and 30 April, sharing their experiences with the assembled crowd.
Mayor Simpson recounted that some of the event’s key talking points included Australia’s climate risk and resilience, the need to create local employment, and connection to and with community.
The forum’s participants began the first day by sharing their success stories since the last ILF in Cherbourg.
“A lot said they finally got some money for water treatment plants in their communities,” Mayor Simpson said.
“Some got housing infrastructure funding, while others are working closely with their surrounding non-Indigenous councils.”
The leaders then moved on to speaking about the challenges they and their communities faced before being asked to come up with solutions.
Despite not being the event’s hosts this time, Cherbourg’s representatives did not content themselves with being merely listeners during the discussion round, instead taking an active role in the proceedings by sharing stories of their community’s successes and struggles with the crowd.
“We talked about how we were in a strong position infrastructure-wise,” Mayor Simpson said.
“The people, place and culture of our workplace – our vision for the council being the biggest employer, doing a lot of training – came up.
“We talked about ‘no more working in silos,’ instead working as a team.
“Meanwhile, we are close to urban areas like Brisbane, Toowoomba and Maryborough, but we still have a community without borders. The youth activity is very high, the crime is still very high, and the drugs are crazy within our community and our region.
“It was good to have our team there,” Mayor Simpson said.
“I wasn’t doing all of the talking – my fellow councillors were asking to take the microphone and say a few things.
“I’d look over at [CEO] Zala and give him a little nod of approval. Our vision is permeating through our councillors.”
The forum’s second day saw the 17 mayors of the state’s First Nations councils deliberate on the contents of the Queensland Indigenous Council Leaders Accord, put before the State Government back in October of 2025.
The removal of alcohol management plans imposed on Indigenous communities proved a particular sticking point.
“We’re different in that we can still buy alcohol in town [Murgon],” Mayor Simpson said.
“We don’t have to produce ID, they [shop attendants] don’t take down our number plates – but in smaller communities in the Cape, they do.
“You’re screened before you even get back into the community, but there’s a lot of sly-grogging.”
Also present at the Cairns ILF were Minister for Local Government Ann Leahy, Minister for Families Amanda Camm, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Fiona Simpson, and various Queensland Police Service commissioners, the latter of whom spoke about their fight to maintain law and order across the state.
Cherbourg’s mayor said the Indigenous Leaders Forum reminded him of the need for collective action, with the local government organisation’s head calling for stronger unity among councils and communities as a whole.
“As a collective voice, we have a better chance of closing the gap,” Mayor Simpson said.
“We spoke about the 17 recommendations [of the 2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap], how there were only three that we were on target for. We need to come and bring our strengths together as a united voice.”
