Pearson quits institute to fight wild rivers battle
08.04.2009
By: Tony Koch, Sarah Elks
ABORIGINAL leader Noel Pearson has resigned as director of the Cape York Institute -- a think tank that has led the national debate on welfare reform and provided educational programs for young people -- to focus on a land rights battle with the Queensland Government.
Mr Pearson established the institute in 2004 to promote the need for welfare reform, economic self-sufficiency and improved literacy and numeracy among the indigenous people of Cape York. He told The Australian yesterday he had resigned to take on the role of campaign manager with the Cape York Land Council where he would concentrate on fighting the Bligh Government's ``wild rivers'' legislation. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh last week announced that three major waterways on Cape York had been declared ``wild rivers''. That declaration, made against the wishes of the vast majority of local indigenous people and cattle producers, imposes severe restrictions on any future development of land near the rivers or catchment areas.
Mr Pearson will be joined at the land council by current Young Australian of the Year Tania Major, who is from Kowanyama community on Cape York and has almost completed a master's degree at Sydney University.
``Let there be no doubt, we will be putting all our energies into this campaign,'' Mr Pearson said.
``If we lose this fight -- if we have to live on our own land dictated to by a government that takes its orders from green groups -- the whole show is lost. It is imperative that we prevail here.
``I have been overwhelmed by messages of support from Cape York traditional owners today. It is absolutely galvanising.
``Premier Bligh has to understand that Aboriginal land in Cape York is not some gift that she can just hand over to urban green groups to secure their support at elections. Our land is not available for the Labor Party to gift away.''
Mr Pearson's shift from the institute to the land council takes him back to his activist roots. According to the institute website, he played a pivotal role in establishing the council in 1990 and subsequently worked on native title cases, including the historic Wik decision. Neville Pootchemunka, traditional owner and Mayor of Aurukun, home of the Wik people, said he joined Mr Pearson and other Cape York indigenous leaders in condemning the declaration of local ``wild rivers''.
``It is an absolute outrage that the Government can ride roughshod over the rights of traditional owners,'' he said.
``In all our submissions we raised objections to this legislation and were ignored so the Government could secure the green voter support in southeast Queensland.''
The Cape York Institute was established in partnership with Griffith University. It has secured significant financial backing from commonwealth and state governments and corporate Australia and includes former West Australian premier Geoff Gallop and Aboriginal academic Marcia Langton among its board members.
The institute, with the help of the Macquarie Foundation, has supported indigenous students from Cape York to attend good boarding schools and universities.
Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson said Mr Pearson and his brother Gerhardt should ``put their pistols back in the holster'' and keep talking to the Government.
``It would be a mistake to believe that all traditional owners in Cape York speak with one voice,'' Mr Robertson said. ``The Pearsons are important voices but they are not the only voices. We have a responsibility to listen to all of them.''
