PLEASE NOTE: This session has now sold out. A vodcast will be available on the Ideas Festival website.

The 2011 Griffith Lecture will be presented by Aboriginal Australian lawyer, academic, land rights activist and founder of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership, Noel Pearson. A prominent advocate for Indigenous equality and education, Noel joins a prestigious list of presenters of this annual lecture, established by Griffith University in 2003. The Griffith Lecture provides an opportunity to promote community debate and conversation on issues relevant to public policy or public life and contributes to the vibrant discussions at the 2011 Ideas Festival.

The Griffith Lecture is proudly presented in partnership with Griffith Unversity.

Noel Pearson
Noel Pearson is a prominent Indigenous Australian lawyer, academic and land rights activist. Noel has been strongly involved in campaigning for the rights of Cape York Aboriginal people and played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Cape York Land Council in 1990. He also worked on both native title cases including the historic WIK decision. The resulting High Court decision is recognised as one of the most important native title cases in Australian history. Throughout the past ten years Noel has been involved in many key Indigenous issues including, as a member of the Indigenous Negotiating Team during the drafting of the Native Title Act in 1993.