Cape York Partnership has celebrated 30 years of Indigenous-led reform with a landmark gala dinner at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, bringing together more than 200 Cape York leaders, families, students, partners, supporters and dignitaries to honour the past and set a clear course for the decades ahead.
The 30th Anniversary Gala, held on Tuesday 18 November 2025 in the gallery’s Naala Badu building, marked three decades since Cape York Elders and community leaders began advancing a reform agenda grounded in a simple, demanding truth: when responsibility is matched with real opportunity, communities build lasting capability.
A night that began with the Giants
Guests arrived into an atrium that set the tone for the night as they mingled through a gallery of faces – the Giants of Reform – a tribute to the Cape York visionaries, advocates and everyday champions whose courage turned a remote peninsula into one of Australia’s most influential reform movements.
After a warm Welcome to Country from Noeleen Timbery, a respected Elder of the Bidjigal clan of the Dharawal nation, guests were drawn into Meers Hall by live music from the Cape. A performance by the Red Dirt Band filled the room with Cape York sound and swagger, before our Cape York Aboriginal Australia Academy students took the stage, their confidence and joy embodying the reform story in music and motion.
Our leaders leading the way
Throughout the evening, MCs Tania Major and Troyson Bassani led the program with distinction. The Cape York Leaders Program alumni balanced humour, gravity and pride as they guided guests through a packed program.
Tania’s creative imprint also framed the night visually. Her Dragonflies artwork appeared throughout the gala, using the dragonfly life cycle as a story of Cape York communities and young people, born in small, scattered places, then rising together when the season changes. The painting reflects CYP’s work: backing children with the support they need to grow strong and take flight. In a fitting close, the original piece was gifted to Cape York Partnership Group CEO Fiona Jose at the end of the night.
Addressing the crowd
We were deeply honoured to hear from Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. She reflected on the shared journey of empowerment across Cape York and brought dignity and insight to an already significant occasion.
“Together in partnership, you're continuing to create fundamental, structural change — to transform what happens to your community and your land in a dialogue that puts your active voice at the centre of decision-making. So congratulations,” she said. [full speech]
The national significance of the milestone was underscored when guests watched a congratulatory video message from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese MP. The Prime Minister recognised Cape York Partnership’s three decades of practical, community-centred change and the alliances that have helped sustain it.
“To all who have carried this agenda with courage and conviction, many of whom are no longer with us, we honour them and congratulate you. You continue to shape a stronger, fairer Australia,” he said. [watch video]
Cape York Partnership Chair Danny Gilbert AM traced the long walk with Cape York leaders from the 1990s to today, describing a reform path that rejects both dependency and abandonment. He took time to acknowledge board members and executive leaders past and present, thanking them for their tireless work in building and defending the agenda over three decades.
“For what we are engaged in is not merely a set of programs or policies – it is, at its heart, an act of faith. Faith in the Australian people. Faith in friendship,” he said.
He praised the Elders who lit the path, the reform leaders and partners who held the line through hard times. His theme was steadfast solidarity: walking side-by-side, even when the road is contested, because the alternative costs lives. [full speech]
Following a stirring video that reflected on the giants of Cape York, Ngulunhdhul Pearson delivered a speech on intergenerational obligation, education as the greatest investment, and the cultural authority beneath Cape York reform. Speaking on behalf of his father, he spoke with clarity, warmth and a conviction that felt both deeply his own and unmistakably part of a family legacy.
“My father wanted me to convey four thoughts on his behalf,” he said. “First, that on an occasion like this, there is the error of attributing to him too large a role. He says he was a young servant of the Elders…These old people became his friends and allies.” [full speech]
Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership CEO Kirsty Davis took to the stage after a video that encapsulated 30 years of reform into 5 minutes. She walked guests through the challenges and successes of the last 30 years: a movement built by Elders. She emphasised that these weren’t “programs,” but a coherent system of development that treats remote communities not as welfare recipients but as partners in nation-building.
“From the beginning, this was never tinkering at the edges,” she said. “It was, and it remains, an attempt to reimagine freedom, responsibility and development for First Nations people – and for the nation… If it comes from Cape York, people know it will be ambitious – maybe contentious – but always courageous.” [full speech]
To lasting partnerships
From the stage, MCs Tania and Troyson also paid warm thanks to the night’s sponsors – Westpac, Macquarie, Boston Consulting Group and Gilbert + Tobin – recognising the long partnerships that have backed Cape York reform over decades. Their acknowledgements were followed by a tribute video honouring Macquarie’s foundational support of the Cape York Leaders Program, whose belief in young Cape York leaders has helped shape the program across its 20-year journey.
The way forward
To finish off the speeches, Cape York Partnership Group CEO Fiona Jose addressed that the night was both a celebration and a call to action. She argued that Cape York has already shown a workable pathway to close the gap in one generation. The remaining challenge, she said, is turning proven success into guaranteed opportunity for every child.
“We have learnt that reforms must provide guarantees: when families take responsibility, they must be met with real opportunity,” she said. “So we propose complementary Queensland and Commonwealth legislation: the Personal Responsibility and Opportunity Act… This is not about a bigger welfare state. It is about transforming the welfare state into an ‘opportunity economy’…
“The Personal Responsibility and Opportunity Act is designed for one generation - 21 years - from conception to adulthood. By the middle of this century, a child born in Cape York will have the same chance of finishing school, getting a job, buying a home and raising a family in security and pride as other Australian children,” she said.
See stressed to those in attendance that education was the powerhouse and the Cape York Leaders Program was the proof.
“The gap can close -in one generation.” This is our proof. This is our promise. We do this for the love of our people,” she said. [full speech]
Gifts that told the story
Guests received a commemorative publication charting Cape York Partnership’s 30-year journey from the early welfare reform battles and landmark institutions to today’s leadership, education and economic empowerment work. They also received a handmade pottery artwork from the Wik women of Aurukun, a tangible reminder that culture is not an accessory to reform, but its source.
Fiona Jose gifted each guest a book celebrating 20 years of Cape York Leaders Program, acknowledging the families and students who have become living proof that closing the gap is achievable within a generation.
A celebration of legacy, and a renewal of purpose
Thirty years on, Cape York Partnership has built a proven record of Indigenous-led reform – lifting expectations, strengthening families, creating schools and leadership pathways that work, and showing Australia a clear, practical way to close the gap.
As guests left the Art Gallery of NSW, they carried the biggest gift of the night: an invitation to participate in the next phase of a national agenda, Australia’s blueprint for change.
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