Noel Pearson's eulogy for Gough Whitlam
(http://www.smh.com.au/comment/noel-pearsons-eulogy-for-gough-whitlam-in-full-20141105-11haeu.html)

Edward Gough Whitlam was the 21st Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. He was the Leader of the Labor Party from 1967 to 1977.

Noel Pearson is an Aboriginal Australian lawyer, academic and land rights activist. Since the end of the 1990s his focus has encompassed a range of issues: he has strongly argued that Indigenous policy needs to change direction, notably in relation to welfare, substance abuse, child protection, education and economic development.

Why Noel Pearson personally is grateful to Gough Whitlam

“In June 1975, the Whitlam government enacted the Aboriginal and Torres …show more content…
We were at last free from those discriminations that humiliated and degraded our people.
...Without (Gough Whitlam) the land and human rights of our people would never have seen the light of day… Only those who have known discrimination truly know its evil.
Only those who have never experienced prejudice can discount the importance of the Racial Discrimination Act. This old man was one of those rare people who never suffered discrimination but understood the importance of protection from its malice.” - Noel Pearson in his eulogy for Gough Whitlam Why Noel Pearson closes his speech the way he does

“We salute this old man for his great love and dedication to his country and to the Australian people.
When he breathed he truly was Australia's greatest white elder and friend without peer of the original Australians.” Whitlam never suffered from racial discrimination but he still ensured that laws that protected Indigenous people from discrimination and abuse were passed and enforced. He could easily have ignored Indigenous issues, but he chose to do what was fair for every Australian.

Explain how Gough Whitlam’s actions make him a “follow traveller with …show more content…
That all Aboriginal reserve lands should be returned to the Aboriginal inhabitants
That Aboriginal Australians had claim to other vacant crown land if they could prove traditional ties with the land
That Aboriginal land and Aboriginal sacred sites were to be protected
That Aboriginal land and Aboriginal land councils were to be set up to administer Aboriginal land
That entry to Aboriginal land for mining or tourism would be subject to Aboriginal control
That mining and other developments on Aboriginal land should proceed only with the permission of the Aboriginal land owners
That if mining companies were allowed to go ahead and mine in Aboriginal lands, the mining companies would be required to pay royalties to the traditional land owners

References

Noel Pearson's eulogy for Gough Whitlam in full, http://www.smh.com.au/comment/noel-pearsons-eulogy-for-gough-whitlam-in-full-20141105-11haeu.html (Viewed 23-5-16)
Noel Pearson, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noel_Pearson (Viewed 23-5-16)
Gough Whitlam, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gough_Whitlam (Viewed 23-5-16)
Whitlam Government, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitlam_Government (Viewed 23-5-16)
Whitlam Institute: Indigenous Australians, https://www.whitlam.org/gough_whitlam/achievements/indigenous (Viewed