The Wire

Sea sponges are at the centre of the latest Indigenous Land Use Agreement, signed this week on Palm Island, off the coast of Townsville in North Queensland. It’s hoped the deal with turnover more than 3 million dollars for the locally owned enterprise. The arrangement sees the Manbarra traditional Owners signing with the Coolgaree Community Development Employment Project to allow the development of an in-sea sponge farm. Manbarra Elder Walter Palm Island says that while the agreement was seven years in the making, he believes negotiations with the Indigenous CDEP group were made easier because of their shared values.

National Native Title Tribunal