Aboriginal Shire of Pormpuraaw

The Aboriginal Shire of Pormpuraaw is a special local government area which is located on western Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. It is managed under a Deed of Grant in Trust under the Local Government (Community Government Areas) Act 2004.HistoryThe area originally was set up as the Edward River Mission in 1938. Aboriginal people from the region were gradually drawn from their traditional lands into the mission settlement.In 1967 the Anglican church were no longer able to sustain their activities in the area as a Church Mission. The Department of Aboriginal and Islander Affairs, a government department, under the Act continued running the affairs of the community.On 28 July 1987, under the Community Services (Aborigines) Act 1984, a Deed of Grant in Trust was given to the Pormpuraaw community. Like other DOGIT communities of the time, Pormpuraaw had a town Council elected by Aboriginal people living in the community. The newly formed Pormpuraaw Council assumed responsibility for implementing certain conditions of the DOGIT. Four elected Aboriginal residents plus a mayor hold four year terms of office.ResponsibilitiesAs the Shire is not operated under the Local Government Act and operates the land on behalf of the community, the Shire Council's responsibilities are quite different from a typical local government body. This includes responsibility for fisheries, alcohol management and even operation of some commercial enterprises.