Examines the key concepts that underpin Noel Pearson's proposals for welfare reform; welfare dependency and the need for structural change to address its detrimental consequences; 'reciprocity' and 'mutual obligation'; 'community' and 'family' as units of moral authority; argues that his focus on welfare as the primary cause of social dysfunction in Cape York communities ignores other causal factors and underestimates the practical difficulties in implementing new governance structures.