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culturally important marine species.

“Approximately one metre of land is lost every year.

“In addition, a tidal surge in recent years has destroyed family graves, scattering human remains.

“The cultural heritage of the First Nations Peoples of the Straits is of great importance to our communities because it is central to our peoplehood and overcoming the effects of colonisation and internalised oppression.

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Christine: back then.

“Building consensus, getting everyone on the same page, on the same course - it would not have been an easy thing to do.

“Kebisu, Rusia, Marou, George Mye and Koiki Mabo, in my opinion, are leaders, role models.

“Couragous.

“Visionary.

“Fearless.

“Intelligent.

“Unwavering integrity… leaders who pushed the boundaries.

“These are leaders that I encourage my people to emulate.

“We shouldn’t shut any doors or put any limitations on seeking reforms to get a better deal for our people.”

Mr David reflected on leadership and governance challenges faced by leaders in the region today.

“My hope is that speaking about these matters here will open up a dialogue among and between regions across the country,” he said.

“To have those courageous conversations about the work in front of us, and beyond the upcoming referendum.

“Layers of governance imposed on us in the name of ‘efficiency’ continues to create inefficiencies in service delivery and directly impacts on the quality of life in the region.”

Mr David mapped out the layers of governance in the region and the complications and conflicts that came with those layers.

“Over the decades, governments and mainstream media continue to demand that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples take responsibility for their lives and their communities,” he said.

“With that responsibility comes the need for the government to share power with us and commit to cogoverning with us.

“For far too long now, governments have been able to make policies about us, without us.

“This includes developing and delivering programs without First Nations’ autonomy in leadership.

“We also need to believe in our ability to be autonomous leaders.

“We need to get better at working in unity to deliver for our people.

“Having so many layers of governance that are an extension of the State creates tensions between Indigenous leaders, because our people work across all of these mechanisms.

“The one thing we agree on is that we are over-governed in the region.

“It raises the question – can one mechanism do the job of protecting the interests of First Nations peoples?

“Or does it require several mechanisms to navigate the various governance environments of the State?

“The next question this raises for me is –how can we build the leadership capabilities in the region to work together in a more sophisticated way?

“So together we can navigate the complicated State processes that we have become entangled in.

“I am also highly conscious that this is not about finding fault with individual leaders, it’s about us understanding the historical and contemporary sociopolitical forces that are causing these tensions between us.

“I think we need to pause and reflect, and think deeply about what has happened to us, and how it is expressing itself now, in our behaviours.

“We need to ask ourselves, what we need to do to transcend our colonial circumstances, to collaborate with each other as leaders in this complicated situation.

“This brought to my mind the effects of oppression and internalised oppression.

“When we internalise oppression from the dominant group oppressing us, we start to believe what they are saying about us.

“Islanders have always been strong in our cultural identity and our relationship with the sea, our islands and our way of life.

“A contemporary example of this inner strength and knowing is the work of the Torres Strait 8.”

Mr David said the Torres Strait 8 were eight Torres Strait Islanders and six of their children who successfully submitted a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) highlighting that Australia violated several Articles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

1. Article 2 (which defines the scope of legal obligations State Parties accept under the ICCPR);

2. Article 6 (the right to life);

3. Article 17 (the right to be free from arbitrary interferences with private life, family, and home);

4. Article 24 (the rights of children to protection); and

5. Article 27 (the right to enjoy culture) (together, the Identified Human Rights).

“The Torres Strait 8 submitted that changing weather patterns causing sea level rise coupled with Australia’s inaction would damage their livelihood, culture, and traditional way of life,” he said.

“They also reported that the Sea level rise already caused flooding and erosion on their affected island, noting that higher temperature and ocean acidification produced coral bleaching, reef death, and the decline of seagrass beds and other nutritionally and

“Cultural heritage is the means through which we continue to practise our culture, maintain our identity, and remain connected to our ancestors and our traditional knowledges which we have sustained through our practices over thousands of years.

“This also extends to the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property over such cultural heritage.”

He said vigilance was also required around the Queensland State Government’s Path to Treaty initiative.

“We will remain vigilant and practice our autonomy by choosing whether to opt into a State-based treatymaking process down the track,” he said.

“Treaty should not be used by States to merely reinforce their claim to sovereignty over our waters, lands and people - it must be built on the agreement that two forms of sovereignty exist in one jurisdiction.”

He said regional leadership was also key to providing a practical direction for future planning leading up to the Voice referendum.

“I think regional leadership is key to preparing our people leading up to the referendum and beyond ballot box,” he said.

“It is difficult to predict the outcome of this referendum, so it’s important for us to plan for a yes and a no outcome.”

Note: Mr David’s Mabo Lecture is expected be published in full later this year – watch this space for details of where and when.