Noel Pearson in Conversation with Gippsland

The Committee for Gippsland was honoured to partner with Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC), in welcoming founder of the Cape York Partnership and Good to Great Schools Australia, Noel Pearson to Gippsland on Monday 4 September.

Committee for Gippsland CEO Tony Cantwell said the event offered an opportunity for Gippslanders to be part of an important conversation and hear from someone with the experience and calibre of Noel Pearson.

“Having served as a member of the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians and the Referendum Council, Mr Pearson is also currently a member of the First Nations Referendum Working Group and continues to advocate for structural reforms to empower Indigenous people,” Tony said.

"We are pleased to be able to partner with GLaWAC in hosting this event and look forward to seeing people from across the region join us on the night.”

GLaWAC CEO Daniel Miller said the event was a great opportunity to welcome Noel Pearson from the Guugu Yimithirr community of Hope Vale to Gunaikurnai country.

“This is a great opportunity for industry leaders and the broader community across Gunaikurnai Country to better understand the views and aspirations of Traditional Owners,” Daniel said.

For more than 30 years, Mr Pearson has pursued key agendas to achieve land rights and socioeconomic development outcomes for Cape York. He co-founded the Cape York Land Council and negotiated with the Keating government to establish the Native Title Act 1993 after the High Court’s landmark Mabo decision rejected the fiction of terra nullius.

Committee for Gippsland would like to thank event sponsors including Star of the South, Energy Australia, Blue Float Energy, Latrobe Community Health Service and the Gippsland Climate Change Network for helping to bring this important conversation to Gippsland.

Watch Noel Pearson’s full keynote address here.