Anna Bligh supports Torres Strait Islands secession

Fred Gela, the Mayor of Torres Strait Island Regional Council, in Brisbane yesterday. Picture: Jack Tran Source: The Australian

Source: The Australian

THE Torres Strait Islands have found a powerful ally in their long-running bid to secede from Queensland, with Premier Anna Bligh lobbying Julia Gillard to grant political autonomy to the islands that lie between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Residents of the vast archipelago have for decades fought to become a self-governing territory, similar to the Northern Territory or the ACT, but have failed to gain political traction.
In a major leap forward, The Australian can reveal that Ms Bligh has now thrown her support behind the move, writing to the Prime Minister seeking the federal government's input into the process.
One of the main champions of secession, Torres Strait Island Regional Council Mayor Fred Gela, applauded Ms Bligh's intervention and said the islanders were closer to becoming "masters of our own destiny".
"We are not calling for independence - we want to remain as Australians," Mr Gela told The Australian. "But as part of Queensland, we are only one of many priorities of the Queensland government.

"Being a territory government in our own right, we would be the only priority."
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