Bio
Talei Elu is a proud Saibai Koedal woman from Seisia – a small Torres Strait Islander community in remote Cape York. Talei worked in Canberra for six years in roles at Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the National Indigenous Australians Agency and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. In 2021, Talei returned home to Seisia to focus more of her time on community-based initiatives that tackle structural issues through action and storytelling.
Abstract
Talei will be discussing her experiences of moving back to her community during the Covid-19 pandemic and how she utilised her government and media skills to ensure her community of Seisia was well equipped to assess online information and misinformation about Covid and the vaccines, and how this collective community effort evolved into securing a telecommunications tower for the Northern Peninsula Area region and investment into community based projects.