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Dion Creek, Chief Executive Officer
Southern Kaantju Traditional Owner, Dion Creek, 37 is a strong advocate for Indigenous advancement and social and economic development for Coen and Cape York. Appointed as CEO of the Cape York Land Council in September 2022, he has been in leadership positions for many years including Coen Regional Aboriginal Corporation, Kalan Enterprises, Cape York Partnerships and Bama Services. He has also been a director of the CYLC Board and is a director with the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance.
He is the founder of Kalan Enterprises, an organisation based in Coen, Cape York delivering land management services, construction, cultural heritage and community development; enabling the creation of new employment and training opportunities for local indigenous people.
He is also the co-founder of Kalan Civil, a civil construction company that works within the Cape York region to maintain State road networks, and participate in new road construction. This indigenous enterprise has supported specialised upskilling of local Indigenous heavy machinery operators and supported further works for local Indigenous contractors within Cape York.
Dion was a key Indigenous negotiator for better Indigenous outcomes as part of the $500 million Cape York Region Package (CYRP). Through direct lobbying this resulted in an increase to Indigenous procurement from 1.5% up to 20%.
This CYRP negotiation and indigenous engagement process was also successful in engaging more than 311 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and providing more than 140,000 hours of Indigenous training and employment.
His involvement has led to more than 15 local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses being engaged to work in civil construction, vegetation and road maintenance works and has generated more than $41 million work of work completed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses that supported economic development in the region.
As a result of these KRAs, a First Nations-owned and majority Indigenous employed company Bama Services achieved TMR prequalification and was awarded the 10 Mile Creek (1.6km) and South of Duck Holes Creek (4.1km) PDR sealing projects in 2018. Bama Services is the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander local business to achieve prequalification and be awarded a contract in Cape York.
Dion is also heavily involved in native title and land rights where his ancestral connections to central Cape York region lies. He was a lead voice in the Kaantju Traditional Owner Negotiating Committee that resulted in more than 2000 square kilometres of land being granted Native Title for the Southern Kaantju people and Uuthaalnganu people.
He also co-designed joint management (CYPAL) terms for management of the KULLA McIlwraith & Oyala Thumotang National Parks – an area of more than 6500 square kilometres of land which is jointly managed by the Southern Kaantju, Ayapathu, Lama Lama, Umpila and Wik people and Queensland Parks.
Dion credits his grandfather; the late Thomas Creek, with giving him the knowledge, strength and determination to continue to advocate for his people. Thomas Creek lodged one of the first land claims (Birthday Mt) in QLD under the Aboriginal Land Act 1992. Dion continued his grandfather’s legacy to ensure the realisation of the recent recognition of native title rights for the Southern Kaantju people as part of the Cape York United #1 Claim.
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