James Cook University Australia

Program: Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Enterprise

Program Goal

To encourage engagement in agriculture and agribusiness that offers positive social, cultural, and economic opportunities for Indigenous community members. Management of Tropical North Queensland’s land and sea resources reflects the rights, values and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

The Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enterprise Program will deliver on this through three key activities.

TNQ Hub (Wet Tropics Node)

Featured Projects

Fostering innovation and connection among Indigenous businesses and communities

Helping Indigenous businesses and communities access the connections, climate knowledge and confidence they need to grow.

Strengthening Drought and Climate Resilience Across Torres and Cape Indigenous Councils

Creating long-term networks of support and knowledge exchange to lay the groundwork for stronger, more self-reliant local economies.

Building First Nation Governance Capacity and Partner Decision-making

Supporting First Nations organisations to strengthen their governance systems, and helping partners to understand these systems.

Bana Mundu (Water is a Spirit)

Our seasons are either not enough or have an excess of water. They are the forever-changing patterns of Country on which our life source depends.

First Nations and Freshwater in North Queensland 2023

A practical guide aimed at improving First Nation participation in freshwater governance and management.

Indigenous Innovation and Enterprise

Indigenous Australians have always been innovative. Indigenous inventions and innovations are some of the earliest known to humans and include the boomerang, the woomera, waterbags, weirs and fish traps, the didgeridoo, bush medicines and thermoplastic resins.

Regional Drought Resilience Plan - Cape York and Torres Strait

The Torres Strait and Cape York Regional Drought Resilience Plan has been developed as a partnership between the Rural Economies Centre of Excellence and the following organisations who will lead implementation of any actions: Torres Cape Indigenous Council Alliance Inc., Gulf Savannah NRM, James Cook University, Tropical North Queensland Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and Cape York Natural Resource Management.

Latest Updates

Deadly Women International Women’s Day 2026

Deadly Women International Women’s Day 2026 Join us this International Women’s Day for a powerful morning celebrating the strength, leadership and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Deadly...READ MORE

Jim Turnour

Program Lead

Jim Turnour is a Principal Strategic Regional Planner at The Cairns Institute, James Cook University where he works with regional and First Nations communities supporting place-based approaches to local challenges.

Prior to this he spent a decade working as a Chief Executive Officer and General Manager for Aboriginal Corporations in Cape York Peninsula. He is a Director of Cape York NRM and Committee Member of the Cairns and District Chinese Association.

Jim was the Member for Leichhardt in the Australian Parliament between 2007 and 2010 representing communities including Cairns, the Douglas Shire, Cape York and the Torres Strait in the Rudd and Gillard Governments. He served on the House Economics, Indigenous Affairs and National Capital and Territories Parliamentary Committees and was Chair of the Labor Caucus Infrastructure Committee. He started his career as an agronomist and extension officer working predominantly for the Queensland Department of Primary Industries in Central and Far North Queensland.

Jim has a PhD (Economics) from James Cook University and degrees in Agriculture Science and Economics from the University of Queensland