Indigenous leader Noel Pearson admits to dropping angry f-bombs at a meeting attended by Queensland minister Kate Jones but emphatically denies racially abusing her.
Ms Jones, the current education minister, claims Mr Pearson called her a "f***ing white c***" when she was part of a government delegation to Cairns in 2009 to discuss 'Wild Rivers' legislation.
Mr Pearson said the then-environment minister made little impression during the meeting at a Rydges hotel and all his exchanges were with the minister for energy and water utilities, Stephen Robertson.
"Quite frankly, other than a young blonde lady sitting to the side of Stephen Robertson, she was virtually invisible," Mr Pearson told AAP.
"She never said anything and nothing was directed at her. The whole exchange was with Stephen Robertson.
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"There were a few f-words and it was a very intense, angry meeting."
In a 2012 article in Fairfax newspapers, Mr Robertson said the meeting was ''a tirade of expletives and abuse'', including, more than once, the phrase ''f***ing white c***s".
"'To this day, I regret not pulling him up,'' Mr Robertson said.
Ms Jones is standing firm, saying Mr Pearson racially abused her.
"The reports are accurate but as I said it was many years ago and I'm not choosing to dwell on them," Ms Jones told reporters on Monday.
Mr Pearson has admitted using "colourful language" in dealings with education department staff over his 'Good to Great Schools' program following fresh claims of intimidation and bullying.
Queensland public servants have told the ABC Mr Pearson had used highly offensive language targeting them after queries about his indigenous schools program.
The national broadcaster has cited a June letter from the director-general of Education Queensland, Dr Jim Watterston, to Mr Pearson in which he raised serious concerns about his conduct.
In the letter, Dr Watterson accused Mr Pearson of inappropriate comments such as "arse coverer, maggot, and 'bucket of s***', to name a few".
Mr Pearson is the founder and co-chair of Good to Great Schools Australia, which runs the Cape York Academy schools of Aurukun, Coen and Hope Vale in partnership with the Queensland government.
Asked about the allegations of offensive and abusive behaviour, Mr Pearson said: "As with anything like that, there are bits and pieces that are accurate and so on, but there's a lot of verballing as well".
He denied his schools program had a culture of bullying.
Aurukun's Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy was shut down and teachers were evacuated in late May after increasing unrest, including the car-jacking of its principal twice in a fortnight.
The unrest sparked a review of the school's performance, resulting in a decision to reassert Education Department control over the facility.
Ms Jones said the intimidation issue was a distraction from her ministerial role.
"I've been around politics for a long time, I'm used to robust language," she said.
"But that was many years ago. I've moved on. I'm sure Noel Pearson has moved on."
