Brett Fallon, unpaid secretary for the Lardil Tribal Council, says he would like to see the council run the island and have the ability to raise its own revenue.
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Mr Fallon said the United Nations had confirmed Lardil Tribal Council owns Mornington Island and the group is registered with the UN.
"In 1973 according to the Queensland parliamentary records which I've kept on file, autonomy was granted to the people of Mornington Island as a result of a cyclone here," Mr Fallon said.
"There was a lot of funding required and there was the usual arguments and Bjelke Petersen granted autonomy in the Queensland parliament."
Mr Fallon said it was an Aboriginal protection reserve run by tribal people on tribal land.
"Afterwards they found bauxite and minerals not just on the island but in areas they classed as part of the original Aboriginal protectorate," he said,
"In 1978 the local government minister said they had to get their hands on the island and enacted the local government act to do that."
Mornington Shire Council was created in 1978 and Mr Fallon said the state took out a 50 year lease which expires in eight years.
"In effect the buildings on this land, the houses, utilities are built on leasehold land," he said.
"But no one seems to be able to find out like any standard commercial lease if money has been paid for that lease."
Mr Fallon said the Lardil Tribal Council wants to go back prior to the 1978 takeover of their country and run their own affairs.
"Malnutrition is real on Mornington Island in a rich country, Save the Children operate here - it's disgusting and should be headline news," he said.
As well as malnutrition, Mr Fallon identified issues with petrol sniffing, illegal home brew and law and order.
"As for nutrition we have a three-pronged approach: meat, fruit and fish," he said.
"This place is rich with seeds, it's got beautiful soil, the old Presbyterian Market Garden was run at a profit."
While Mr Fallon cautiously supported Bob Katter's plan to restore the market garden, he wanted more action.
"These people own this land, they have the right to impose levies and taxes for the benefit of their community," he said.
"When most of the funding comes from government subsistence welfare, unemployment benefits and pensions, they then pay enormously inflated food and petrol and tobacco prices and they send that money back to Canberra.
"Instead of this backwards and forwards they would put in their own taxation system here to benefit their community."
On illegal home brew Mr Fallon wanted to end prohibition while in law and order, they needed to stop offenders being taking off country to jails which he called "colleges for criminals".
"We need a tribal based justice system where offenders are taken to country with elders to learn knowledge of tribal lands and be reminded of their connection to country," he said.
Mr Fallon said despite having less than 160km of road on the island, the council was spending $4.4 million a year on grading.
"The men who work on those roads know they could do the job much cheaper once they had the machinery in place and the ability to service it,' he said.
"Funding on Mornington Island is not getting where it is needed or you wouldn't need Save The Children here."
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
