CULTURAL CENTRE STATUS REVOKED

TOWNSVILLE’S only indigenous cultural centre has been stripped of its charity status following a long- running investigation by the national regulator.

The Australian Charities and Not- for- profits Commission ( ACNC) revoked the charity status of the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre Cooperative Society Limited on April 21 – 18 months after the Townsville Bulletin revealed concerns about possible financial irregularities.

An ACNC spokesman said the regulator revoked its charity status after a compliance in- vestigation. That revocation was backdated to September 15, 2015, one month before a Bulletin expose revealed that concerns about three transactions ordered by Angie Akee.

Mrs Akee was a board member at the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre Unit Trust – a separate entity responsible for funding the cultural centre’s operations.

At the time, the trust made payments directly into the personal bank accounts of cultural centre employees allegedly at the direction of Mrs Akee.

These included $ 6000 for shirts for the Juru native title determination. That money was paid into the personal bank account of Melinda Tweedie and was expected to be reimbursed by Kyburra Munda Yalga Aboriginal Corporation, of which Mrs Akee is also the chairperson.

A further $ 4000 was paid into the personal bank account of cultural centre president Tanya Akee, who is Angie Akee’s daughter. That money was repaid by Kyburra.

And $ 6000 was paid into Ms Tweedie’s account for the construction of a website. It is understood that an agreement has since been reached to complete the website.

At the time, investigations also revealed that Angie Akee’s sister, Agnes Tapim, was also on the cultural centre board, and her husband Frances Tapim was on the Trust board.

A shirt company was also registered in Tanya Akee’s name and an ABN was linked to a production company registered to Ms Tweedie.

Following mounting concerns about the nature of the transactions, the Unit Trust moved to prevent it happening again, with all further payments needing full board approval.

The matter was also referred to government regulators. The entire Trust board has since been replaced.

The cultural centre, which is situated in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority complex on the Ross Creek, has been closed for about 18 months, with community members, including elders, holding protests accusing those in charge of nepotism.

ACNC commissioner Susan Pascoe said revocation of charity status was the most serious outcome in the regulator’s arsenal.

The Townsville Bulletin sought comment from Angie and Tanya Akee via Kyburra and the North Queensland Land Council, which has previously provided legal responses on behalf of Angie Akee.

A spokeswoman for the NQLC replied “no comment” and calls to the cultural centre were not answered.