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The Torres Strait Islands are located in the Diocese of Cairns which is home to nearly 5,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics. According to the most recent census, 10% of all Indigenous people in the Cairns Diocese identify as Catholic.

On the Islands themselves, the Catholic Parish is located on Thursday Island and is home to around 800 Torres Strait Islander Catholics.

For a summary of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Statistics drawn from the 2016 Census, please click here.

The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in the Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea.

The islands are mostly part of Queensland, a constituent State of the Commonwealth of Australia, with a special status fitting the native (Melanesian) land rights, administered by the Torres Strait Regional Authority. A few islands very close to the coast of mainland New Guinea belong to the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, most importantly Daru Island with the provincial capital, Daru.

Torres Strait Islander
Ministries

NATSICC Councillor

Dolly McGaughey

The Torres Strait Islands Councillor

Dolly McGaughey is the NATSICC representative for the Torres Strait Islands. We are very happy to have a representative for the Torres Strait and look forward to making the most of Dolly's experience and knowledge. She is passionate about climate change, her family and culture and her Catholic faith

Now retired, Dolly has worked closely with the Catholic Education Office for many years in many different roles. A talented musician, Dolly's music has been included on a number of CD releases. Dolly has a large family, located on the mainland as well as on the Islands.

Contact: Dolly can be contacted via admin@natsicc.org.au