A Look Back at 30 Years of Cape York Partnership

Premiered at our 30th Anniversary Gala Ball on Tuesday 18 November 2025 at The Art Gallery of NSW, this video traces the journey from Noel Pearson’s call for reform to a three-decade-long movement that has reshaped welfare, education, health, jobs and cultural renewal across Cape York and beyond.

Thirty years ago, Cape York’s old people and family leaders carried a radical hope: that families would have the power to choose lives they have reason to value, grounded in culture and responsibility. Noel Pearson gave voice to that call, and Cape York Partnership was created to disrupt policies that had failed First Nations people and replace them with community-led reform.

Early milestones included establishing the Cape York Institute – Australia’s first Indigenous-led policy think tank – and the Queensland Government accepting that past programs had not worked. A new partnership began, launching Australia’s first welfare reform trial to tackle passive welfare and rebuild social norms, capability and opportunity. At its centre was the world-first Family Responsibilities Commission, where local elders hold legal authority to support accountability and family stability.

Cape York Partnership paired reform with practical opportunity. Financial capability programs and co-designed tools have helped more than 3,000 people build literacy, manage money, and save toward education and home goals. Education has been a cornerstone: direct instruction has transformed learning in remote schools and now supports over 3,200 teachers nationally. Cape York Leaders Program has achieved a 94% Year 12 completion rate, with more than 600 scholarships helping students access high-quality secondary schooling, university and work. Djarragun College and the Cape York Girl Academy have provided culturally strong boarding pathways, including Australia’s only school enabling young mothers to study with their babies.

Health and wellbeing have also been central. Ngak Min Health delivers holistic, culturally appropriate care, while Mayi Market addressed food insecurity during COVID by providing affordable fresh food. Across employment and industry, Cape York initiatives have trained and placed more than 1,400 people into real jobs – because without work, there can be no real freedom.

Through it all, culture remains the partnership’s gravity. The Pama Language Centre is restoring and protecting languages so they are living again in schools, homes and workplaces.

Thirty years on, the message is unchanged: Cape York children deserve strong education, real jobs, good health and the strength of culture. With love and resolve from the old people who began this work, Cape York Partnership continues the fight for empowerment.