Ani mijala (Hello), I’m Jaala. I am a Djukun woman living on Djukun Country, known to us as Jirr-ngin-ngan, and what is now known as Broome.
I have migrant roots in Broome dating back more than 130 years. My Djukun roots in Broome for millennia. I was raised in the Kimberley and understand the challenges of living in a remote isolated region.
As a Djukun woman I have a responsibility to care for Country. The Kimberley is facing its biggest threat ever from the oil and gas industries and the industrialisation of this pristine environment. Our ancestors kept Country intact and we need to continue to care for Country for our future generations.
I have family in Broome through to Kununurra, and a son who is now 28. I have many ties with people across the Kimberley.
Over the years I’ve worked in numerous professions including hairdressing and social work, and right now I’m studying a Master of Business. As a qualified social worker, I advocate strongly for the voices of Kimberley to be heard, in particular focusing on inequality and disrupting the avenues of power so as to better share the riches of this country.
Homelessness is on the rise in the Kimberley at an alarming rate, and the effect on our community is devastating. Every day I support people who are worried about being able to secure affordable housing. Successive governments have critically underinvested in social housing, particularly homes that serve the needs of Aboriginal people, single people, child-free couples and older people.
I am also very concerned about the drive to industrialise the Kimberley, and am passionately opposed to fracking. Despite the critical threat fracking poses to the precious lifeblood of this land, the Kimberley is the only place in WA where fracking is allowed. We cannot continue burning fossil fuels, and we cannot allow fracking to destroy our precious environment.
So if you want change in the Kimberley, you have to vote for it!
