Gulf of Carpentaria Indigenous leader Murrandoo Yanner has told a community forum in Brisbane that state and federal governments are dominated by racist politicians who will stop at nothing to wipe out Indigenous affairs in Australia.

Mr Yanner was invited by local Aboriginal leaders to talk about racism, police and deaths in custody.

He told the gathering there will be tough times ahead for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders and unless Indigenous leaders become more active and start speaking out against racism.

"You look at the federal and state parliaments, they are very racist-looking establishments and they're full of racists and they are full of rich racists, and they don't have much in common with their own race," he said.

"The majority of white people in this country are poor to middle class and struggling and being left behind by these rich people."

Mr Yanner says Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders must unite against governments trying to destroy Indigenous affairs.

"We gotta be in shape because there are a lot of worse things to come," he said.

"It is going to get far worse before it gets better, we see [Prime Minister John] Howard is wiping out the land councils, they have made many advancements for us over the years.

"He is wiping out the Aboriginal legal services and that is going to have a great increase in our people being incarcerated and being brutalised."