Noel Pearson hails from the Guugu Yimithirr community of Hope Vale, where he has dedicated over three decades to advancing critical agendas such as land rights and socioeconomic development across Cape York.
Co-founding the Cape York Land Council, Noel played a pivotal role in negotiating with the Keating government to establish the Native Title Act 1993, following the landmark Mabo decision that overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius.
Motivated by the socioeconomic challenges he witnessed growing up, Noel has been a trailblazer in pioneering holistic approaches to welfare reform and improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged students. He is the Founder of Cape York Partnership and Good to Great Schools Australia and has co-founded other organisations committed to addressing entrenched disadvantage among marginalised communities.
Noel Pearson’s influence extends to national platforms, having served on the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians and the Referendum Council. Currently, he is a member of the First Nations Referendum Working Group, advocating tirelessly for structural reforms to empower Indigenous Australians.
