WA GOVERNMENT RESPONDS TO YEARS OF COMMUNITY CALLS AT YULE RIVER BUSH MEETING
BY ASAD KHAN
The Western Australian Government has committed $300,000 over two years in response to years of grassroots advocacy at the annual Yule River Bush Meeting, marking a significant step toward addressing longstanding community concerns on Kariyarra Country.
Communities Call for Results, Not Rhetoric
More than 500 people gathered near Yule River, south of Port Hedland, for two days of powerful discussion led by Pilbara Aboriginal communities.
The central message was clear: community voices must be heard and acted upon.
This year’s event culminated in WA Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Don Punch announcing the funding to support the Yule River Call to Action, an annual statement of community priorities.
Minister Punch also committed to returning in six months to report on progress and to attend next year’s meeting.
“An Important First Step”
Minister Punch said the funding would help coordinate conversations across agencies and community groups, identify service gaps, and set shared priorities for change.
“The funding is there to help the process of getting to the outcomes,” he said.
“It’s to help facilitate the conversations, map what services currently exist… build that common understanding, and then build the conversations that say, okay, this is what we really need to do.”
He emphasised that focusing on coordination and building on existing resources would be crucial to achieving long-term solutions.
Carrying the Torch of the Elders
Raylene Button, of Palyku and of Kariyarra Country, presented the community’s demands to government representatives. She spoke of the significance and intergenerational strength behind the bush meeting.
“The legacy started long ago before I was born, amongst our old peoples and our grandfathers, great-grandparents,”
“Here we are, just carrying the torch and making sure that the voices of our grassroots community people are being heard and that their priorities… are being actioned.”
Commissioner Kiss: Holding Government to Account
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss, who also attended the meeting, pledged her continued support for the Yule River Working Group and local communities.
“My role is to monitor the exercise and enjoyment of human rights by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, but also to provide advice and guidance to government,” she said.
“I’ll continue to work with the Yule River Working Group… and with government agencies and relevant ministers to help progress their interests.”
Looking Ahead
The Yule River Bush Meeting is now in its tenth year. It remains one of the few spaces where Pilbara Aboriginal communities speak directly with decision-makers on their Country, setting the agenda on issues such as housing, youth justice, health, and governance.
This year’s funding commitment marks progress, but local leaders have made it clear: what matters now is delivery.
Listen to Ngaarda Media’s Asad Khan speak with Minister Don Punch, Commissioner Katie Kiss and Raylene Button: