Palm Island activist expects backlash over settlement
Once-jailed Palm Island rioter Lex Wotton is concerned by community resentment towards recipients of a $30 million class action settlement with the Queensland government.
Mr Wotton will call for patience concerning the distribution of the payout among 447 racial discrimination claimants at meetings next week.
The activist expects backlash from some of the hundreds of other Palm Islanders to miss out on the money after not joining the class action.
"There will be a lot of people disappointed that certain ones are getting things," Mr Wotton said.
"They had an opportunity to lodge an application. All they had to do was go and pick up a booklet, put their details on it and post it away.
"There will be resentment but that's their fault, no one else's fault."
Mr Wotton led the community's class action in the landmark racial discrimination case in which the Federal Court found police were racist in their response to riots that followed Mr Doomadgee's 2004 death in custody.
He and relations of the late Cameron Doomadgee will address two community meetings in Townsville and Palm Island after the state government revealed it had reached the settlement and would also offer a public apology.
He echoed his lawyer Stewart Levitt's concerns that people from outside the community could attempt to exploit Palm Island settlement recipients.
But Mr Wotton said he would not try to influence how residents spent the money.
"Everything's paid out to individuals. It's really got nothing to do with me, other than being the lead applicant," he said.
Residents had sought a $40 million settlement, but Mr Wotton has expressed relief the proceedings are now over.
He was jailed for inciting the riots that led to the local police station and home of arresting officer Chris Hurley - who would later be found responsible for Doomadgee's fatal injuries - being burnt to the ground.
Mr Wotton and two of his family members were later compensated $220,000 for the pain they endured during early morning raids.
AAP