Welcome Shannon

Shannon Burns joined The Cairns Institute in March 2022. Previously, he had held positions with the Queensland Government’s Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy and Department of Natural Resources and Water and more recently as Senior Policy Officer with Cape York Land Council.

Through his work at The Cairns Institute, he intends to contribute to the sustainable development of tropical Australian society, with a focus on North Queensland Aboriginal communities, through advocacy for statutory and policy reforms, improved corporate governance, land and sea management planning, and effective implementation of processes and projects which support positive social, cultural and environmental outcomes.

Shannon will be working on projects led by Professor Allan Dale, including the Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples’ Cultural Values Project and how management of the Wet Topics can better include participation and decision making by Rainforest Aboriginal People.

He will also be involved in the Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enterprise program under the TNQ Drought Hub. He supports that management of Tropical North Queensland’s land and sea resources reflects the rights, values and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and that engagement in agriculture and agribusiness provides positive social, cultural and economic opportunities for Indigenous people.