Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says his first job in Parliament will be to overturn the Queensland Government's Wild Rivers Act.

The legislation protects rivers on Cape York in far north Queensland from development.

Indigenous leader Noel Pearson has argued the Act stops the right to self-determination.

Mr Abbott says he will be working with the independents to have the law overturned.

"As our first priority we intend to work with the independents to overturn Queensland's Wild River's legislation," he said.

"Far better for the national Parliament to restore to the people of Cape York ... their own land than to inflict on them a new detention centre for asylum seekers."

'No mandate'

Queensland Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson says Mr Abbott has no political authority to do that.

"Unlike Tony Abbott, the Bligh Government has a mandate to implement our Wild Rivers legislation," he said

"We took to our last state election a wild rivers policy and openly declared what rivers would be subject to Wild Rivers assessment.

"That is something that Tony Abbott does not have a mandate to do."