Queensland Government
Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services
Curtis Pitt MP

Pictured: Curtis Pitt MP, Minister for Disability Services, Mental Health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships

I am honoured to serve as the new Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and I would like to use my first column in Namalata Thusi to introduce myself to you.

Like Desley Boyle, my predecessor, I’m from far north Queensland. I am the Member for Mulgrave, an electorate stretching from the southern corridor of Cairns to Innisfail. Living in the far north keeps me in intimate contact with both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities which, I believe, is essential for my new portfolio.

I also believe that sport and recreation are important vehicles of opportunity and I’m not ashamed to say that I have strong ties to the game of rugby league.

My wife, Kerry, is Kuku Yalangi and we both share strong and close ties with the Yarrabah community.

The needs of Queensland’s Indigenous community are not new to me. I led the government’s Indigenous Jobs and Enterprises Taskforce, established to improve economic participation for members of discrete Indigenous communities. Before entering parliament, I also worked for the former Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships.

I was elected as the Member for Mulgrave in 2009. My father, Warren, was the previous member and he had an enviable track record as a minister, serving in cabinet under Premiers Goss, Beattie and Bligh. My father’s work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities was important to him. No task was too big to tackle and no task was too small, either. My father worked hard each and every day to ensure that voices within our community were heard by government and all options were explored on their behalf.

These are the qualities I strive to emulate during my work in this new portfolio. As the father of an almost two-year-old I have had to use the phrase ‘listening ears’ a lot and I plan on using my listening ears as often as possible. 

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor, Desley Boyle. Desley took a great personal interest in Indigenous Queensland, above and beyond the demands of her office. I am determined to build on her good work.