Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared his visit to the Torres Strait Islands a "huge success". But Melora Noah , a senior Meriam woman from Mer Island says he community has been ignored.A representative from a remote Torres Strait Islander community has criticised Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for failing to visit any of the islands where residents identify as Torres Strait peoples.
Melora Noah, a senior Meriam woman from Mer Island, has exclusively told SBS News her community has been ignored and overlooked by state and territory governments for decades.Source:“They come to Thursday island, and they think they're in the Torres Strait. But no, the motherland of the Torres Strait is out here,” she said.
Solomon Islands has signed a security deal with the Chinese government which has stoked Western concerns about the potential construction of a military base. Speaking on behalf of her community, Ms Noah said the Statement from the Heart does not stand for them. “We're still part of the Australian government, part of the Queensland government and we have the rules and regulations in place. But at the same time, we're still going down this route of sovereignty,” she said.
While this issue has been raised, the war games on Australia's north ramp up: