General News
10 March, 2026
Next gen’s part in sea change
THREE young Reef Traditional Owners have been added to the Great Barrier Reef Traditional Owner Taskforce (ReefTO) inaugural ‘Reef Youth Circle’.
The announcement delivers on a commitment made to young people at the Sea Country Forum in March 2025, where young Reef Traditional Owners called for meaningful involvement in decision-making about the future of Sea Country in the Great Barrier Reef – not just to be heard, but to lead.
The inaugural circle members are:
Leon Yeatman Jnr – A proud Gunggandji and Lower Coastal Yindiji man from Yarrabah, bringing experience from community work, biosecurity and fishing industries
Jamay Deshong – A proud Koinjmal woman with ties to Butchulla and Kabi Kabi/Gubbi Gubbi Country, focused on ensuring youth and Traditional Owner voices lead environmental decision-making
Jameliah Illin – A proud Bindal, Nywaigi and Wakaya woman, passionate about healthcare and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The circle will work alongside the ReefTO taskforce and coordination unit to design youth activities, create content and build leadership skills while bringing cultural knowledge and lived experience to ReefTO’s work.
Taskforce co-chairman Duane Fraser said there was a significant gap in succession planning between young people and today’s leaders.
“Too often, our young people don’t get the chance to step into the process, to speak and to shape the future with their perspective. They have a right to be at the table, not just as observers, but as leaders,” Mr Fraser said.
“The Sea Country Alliance will soon be theirs to carry.”
Ms Illin said the initiative represented something long overdue.
“This is the first time in a long time that Traditional Owners had the opportunity to create a space specifically for youth – where we can be creative and really target what matters to young people,” she said.
“We’re working alongside Elders and the taskforce, but we’ve got our own space to lead. It’s really refreshing to see and it’s so important for us to have that.”
Mr Yeatman said his motivation comes from thinking about future generations.
“I’m doing this for my kids and the next generation, but also for our whole clan and the Traditional Owners up and down the coast. We share this Reef and I want to show my boys that their dad is out here doing this work, not just for them, but for our community,” he said.
“We need that understanding and exposure about looking after Sea Country.”
Ms Deshong said she was looking forward to learning from the experience and knowledge of taskforce members.
“Everyone on the taskforce is respected in their communities and they’ve been doing this work for a long time. What I want to learn from them is their mentorship – the way they think is so holistic, visionary and strategic,” she said.
“They deal with western organisations that don’t always value cultural knowledge and the way they navigate that with such composure is something I aspire to. They’re proud people doing work they believe in and that’s what I want to create too – something I can be proud of.”
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