Islands in the Torres Strait have celebrated 40 years of the Torres Strait Treaty.
Signed in December 1978, the Treaty came into force in February 1985, and defined the border between Australia and Papua New Guinea.
It also honours traditional kinship, cultural ties and histories shared between 13 Torres Strait islands and 13 coastal villages of Papua New Guinea, allowing movement between the Torres Strait Protected Zone (TSPZ).
The anniversary sparked discussions of communities intrinsically connected by a bond that must not be broken.
Saibai Elder of the Damoi clan Keri Akiba says he remembers the uncertainty before the Treaty, when Torres Strait Islanders thought their world would be torn apart.
Mr Akiba was attending TAFE in Brisbane in 1972 when the Whitlam Labor government came into power wanting to re-draw the state's boundary.
“He wanted to draw that border right smack in the middle of Torres Strait,” Mr Akiba said.
“He did that without actually coming to the Torres Strait. He was just making that decision somewhere in Canberra and said it was a goodwill gesture.
“It was like we were just mere objects, that we could just give to PNG.”
Elder Keri Akiba sits on Saibai’s sea wall where PNG can be seen from. Credit: Supplied
Mr Akiba said those who resisted the govdernment's plan - Elders from various islands - were honoured at anniversary celebrations.
He said he was grateful that then-Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Peterson supported their call.
“We can just imagine what to say would look like now if the border went smack in the middle of the Torres Strait,” he said.
Major celebrations on Saibai were hosted by the local council and Treaty Liaison office to mark the milestone.
Torres Strait Island Regional Council (TSIRC) Mayor Phillemon Mosby said the Torres Strait Treaty was a one-of-a-kind.
“The Torres Strait Treaty is more than an agreement – it is a living bridge that connects our communities across sovereign borders,” he said.
“For 40 years, it has ensured the preservation of our cultural traditions, economic ties, and family connections.”
Tides of change
Mr Akiba said when the Treaty came into effect in 1985, the Torres Strait and PNG Treaty Villages could still exercise genuine trade of goods.
“However, just after that the D.P.I law came in, quarantine law came in, and the Australian government stopped the exchange of garden foods,” he said.
Mr Akiba said societal changes had forced communities more and more into a cash trade system, which was driving an increase in illegal activity.
He said families in the treaty villages were suffering economically.
But, he said he believed investment by the Australian government in PNG’s treaty villages could lower criminal activity.
“Our peak bodies in the Strait – TSRA Regional Authority and GBK – could advocate for them in the spirit of the treaty,” he said.
Mr Akiba said if the border had fallen to the middle of the Torres Strait, families would be in the same position as the PNG’s Treaty villages.
Cr Mosby said his local government was committed to lobbying for the needs of traditional inhabitants on both sides.
“We've heard it quite clear from the [treaty] co-chair, councillor Kabai Salee, who articulated on the day that they really need our support,” he said.
“[They want to] see that level of government investment makes it down to those coastal villages to address [their] basic human needs.”
“We're seeing the influx coming into the Torres Strait because of the lack of services that's available on the other side, and it's putting a strain on our already under funded, under resourced fatigue health system.”
‘One people’ protecting culture for future generations
Mr Akiba said he elephant in the room was a largely empty building on Saibai, built in 2020 with state and federal funding.
The building was intended to be a multi-agency facility to help protect the region from illegal activity.
“[People] bring illegals over and put them in the mangroves here,” he said.
“There is a scheme over there that's people smuggling, beside the other illicit, illegal stuff that's going on.
“We should have some sort of, surveillance.”
Mr Akiba said he didn’t believe the treaty should ever change, but he’d like to see a review of the Treaty that could make recommendations, carefully and in consideration of both countries.
“We can change put measures in place under the Treaty, which is allowed under Article[s] of the Treaty,” he said.
