In 1981, Eddie Mabo delivered a speech at James Cook University in Queensland, where he challenged the widely accepted belief of ownership and inheritance of land on Murray Island. And in 1981, Eddie was invited by the same university to make a speech about Mer's land inheritance system. The justices spoke of a legacy of "unutterable shame"and that the dispossession of Indigenous people was the darkest aspect of Australia's history. 2006 Presentation by Professor Larissa Behrendt. For significant service to the community as a cultural leader and public sector executive in the field of Indigenous affairs.. A clear theme from the Broome Roundtable revealed a common frustration among many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. When I looked over the lives of these two great Australians I was struck by the similarities of their struggles and the qualities they each . This led to the subsequent High Court case, Mabo v Queensland (No 2), which was to determine the matter of the plaintiffs' land rights. The memory of wounds. I have heard many stories from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and Traditional Owners about the many barriers they face in reaching their potential benefits under land rights and native title. In New South Wales, the most populous state, Aboriginal people have title over only 0.1% of the land. This activity encourages children to write down their knowledge in a structured report . Of law. It goes on to mention the yet unfulfilled nature of redress through a social justice package that I alluded to earlier: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been progressively dispossessed of their lands. 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Eddie Koiki Mabo (c. 29 June 1936 - 21 January 1992 [1]) was an Australian man from the Torres Strait Islands known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights and for his role in a landmark decision of the High Court of Australia which overturned the legal doctrine of terra nullius ("land belonging to nobody") which characterised The words are carefully chosen to sit alongside each other withjust the right length and the right tone, each one setting up the other and chosen for both meaning and music. Eddie Mabo had challenged the very ideological establishment of Australia and the first Australians. And these were the costs borne by the whole family. It was through his association with JCU humanities and education staff, Professor Henry Reynolds and Associate Professor Noel Loos, that Eddie became interested in who owned the land on which his people lived, and in Native Title. We need to work alongside government to equip ourselves with the knowledge and skills to turn the economic and commercial aspirations into reality. But it was a bittersweet moment for the indigenous population. But we know that these scales do not capture the social disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Sign up for free to create engaging, inspiring, and converting videos with Powtoon. On this great day, I, Prime Minister of Australia, speak to you on behalf of the Australian people all those who honour and love this land we live in. (Transcript), 2014 Presentation byMs Shannan Dodson, Digital Campaign Manager, Recognise Australia. Eddie Mabo was a man of courage and principle who fought for the inherent rights of the Meriam people, and ultimately for the rights of all Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal peoples. Drama Biopic Inspiring. [12] Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), preamble. Those cases resulted in the acknowledgment that Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had the right to claim the land they and their ancestors had lived on for thousands of years. We did not end. As the Broome Roundtable highlighted, this remains one of the key unresolved issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their quest for ongoing economic development. The practical effects of Mabo have, indeed, been mixed, judging by figures from the Koori Mail, a national indigenous-owned newspaper. Bryan Keon-Cohen was one of Eddie Mabo's barristers, and he gave a speech at Mabo's funderal in Townsville in Feb 1992 - he said: 'I confine myself here . AAP. [11]Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), preamble. They both endured early hard lives that steeled them for the struggles that would eventually come their way. The assumptions were quite erroneous, of course, but Terra Nullius was set in unshakeable motion and stayed rooted in place for two hundred years, even though Aborigines had been in Australia for at least 40,000 years. Watch. Edward 'Koiki' Mabo (1936-1992), Torres Strait Islander community leader and land rights campaigner, was born on 29 June 1936 at Las, on Mer, in the Murray group of islands, Queensland, the fourth surviving child of Murray Islands-born parents 'Robert' Zesou Sambo, seaman, and his wife 'Annie' Poipe, ne Mabo. Mabo ended up on the mainland working a number of jobs, including labouring on the railways. I have been honoured in the last six weeks by being asked to deliver both the Eddie Koiki Mabo Lecture here today and the Rob Riley Memorial Lecture on Friday the 8th of May in Perth. It was also a flagrant disregard of Britain's own existing laws, which stated that the Aboriginal people did have title rights over their own land. Please join with me in acknowledging the life long accomplishments of Russell Taylor. Read about our approach to external linking. Han is Korean and it is more than a word. The Mabo decision was a legal case held in 1992. Truth. Together yindyamarra winanghanha means to live with respect in a world worth living in. This push for economic independence has sought to move away from models of government dependency and have been premised largely on the use of our land as the basis to achieve this. You may have heard that Tim Wilson, Human Rights Commissioner and I recently co-convened a roundtable on Yawuru country on the issue of Indigenous property rights. To Eddie Koiki Mabo and chief justice Sir Gerard Brennan. These adjustments are key if we are to translate our inherent legal rights under native title into sustainable opportunities for our people. It is a feeling. Unlike them, however, Mabo wasn't going to accept it. Yindyamarra winanghanha. There was something of destiny in the air. These legal challenges continued into the 20th century rulings maintained the legitimacy of the Crown but could not extinguish completely the Aboriginal claims. The most important revelation arising from Eddie Mabo's claim and the High Court's decision was that an ancient title connected to the traditional occupation of the land by Aboriginal and Islander people had survived the . This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty., "This is the torment of our powerlessness.". Our people know han. Participants in Broome identified there was a real need to have a new conversation with Government around Indigenous land and property rights and how this might translate into sustainable economic development. Eddie Mabo at James Cook University, early 1980s Series 8. active, free and meaningful participation in development; self-determination and full sovereignty over natural wealth and resources. Audio file Transcript About this record This is the soundtrack of an address to the nation on 15 November 1993 by the then Prime Minister Paul Keating, explaining the Australian Government's response to the High Court's Mabo decision. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/eddie-mabo-lecture-stan-grant-terra-nullius-gerard-brennan/101126466, The man who 'took on the government' and won, Supplied: Australian Institute of Marine Science/Ray Berkelmans, Kevin was fishing for his family when he was confronted by a 'compliance officer', Australia's biggest drug bust: $1 billion worth of cocaine linked to Mexican cartel intercepted, Four in hospital after terrifying home invasion by gang armed with machetes, knives, hammer, 'We have got the balance right': PM gives Greens' super demands short shrift, Crowd laughs as Russia's foreign minister claims Ukraine war 'was launched against us', The tense, 10-minute meeting that left Russia's chief diplomat smoking outside in the blazing sun, 'Celebrity leaders': Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley take veiled jabs at Donald Trump in CPAC remarks, Hong Kong court convicts three members of Tiananmen vigil group for security offence, as publisher behind Xi biography released, 'How dare they': Possum Magic author hits out at 'ridiculous' Roald Dahl edits, Vanuatu hit by two cyclones and twin earthquakes in two days, the colonists not the Aborigines are the foreigners, Justice Lionel Murphy rattled the bones of the Australian settlement, Ngunnawal traditional owners announce plans to lodge native title claim over ACT and parts of NSW, These men have 'unfinished business' with native title and their case could change Australia, Gail Mabo was with her newborn son when she learnt her father had corrected history 30 years ago, Former High Court Chief Justice who wrote lead judgement on Mabo decision dies one day before its 30th anniversary, Rare sighting of bird 'like Beyonce, Prince and Elvis all turning up at once', Emily was studying law when she had to go to court. The judge's four hundred page report presented Mabo and his barristers with a bombshell which threatened to sink their case. It does not create any new rights, but rather reaffirms the rights that exist in many other international treaties and conventions. JCU celebrates the history-making Mabo decision with the long establishedEddie Koiki Mabo Lecture Series, an annual public commemorative presentation by a prominent person who has made a significant contribution to contemporary Australian society. The legal decision was made by the High Court on 3 June 1992. Words like han. Eddie Mabo's dream had come true; a meeting of minds to address the issue of Aboriginal land . Today in the midst of winter there is still smoke from a campfire, framing a word spelled out on the lawn: Sovereignty. Reynolds writes: When democracy is teetering and autocracy is rising. 2009 Presentation by Professor Ross Garnaut, Vice-Chancellor's Fellow and Professorial Fellow in Economics, The University of Melbourne, and Distinguished Professor, The Australian University. 23 Nov 1990 - 21 Oct 1994 Library at the University College of Townsville, Queensland. The next generation of native title issues are due to hit us shortly through processes such as litigation regarding ILUAs, variations to determinations and compensation proceedings.[2]. To build a world worth living in. You can find it still, somewhere buried in the archives of ABC News. Mabo's love for his homeland drove the proud Torres Strait Islander to undertake a 10- year legal battle that rewrote Australia's history. Eddie Koiki Mabo Lecture Series. 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Legacy of Eddie Mabo. At: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/RealizingaVisionforTransformativeDevelopment.aspx (viewed 9 June 2015), [8] N Collings, Native title, economic development and the environment, Australian Law Reform Commission Journal 15, 2009. This dispossession occurred largely without compensation, and successive governments have failed to reach a lasting and equitable agreement with Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders concerning the use of their lands.[12]. However, contemporary Indigenous governance needs recognises that we must now adjust our customary ways of governing to meet the expectations and regulations of non-indigenous laws and institutions. On 3 June 1992, six of the seven High Court judges upheld the claim and ruled that the lands of . Words speak across tongues. It is this issue of development that I will explore later in greater detail. More Information .We are closed in a box. For 50 years this embassy has stood as a reminder that we are still here. In Torres Strait Islands called the Mabo case, for Eddie Mabo, the first-named plaintiff) brought by several individuals that was won in the High Court of Australia in 1992; subsequent cases were also settled in favour of other groups of islanders. Several cabinet papers from the time of the Mabo decision reflect on its likely ramifications, including: The National Archives of Australia acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, sea and community. A panel of judges at the High Court ruled that Aboriginal people were the rightful custodians of the land. Leeanne Enoch MP, Minister for Housing and Public Works and Minister for Science and Innovation. That permission was denied. (No. The great polish poetCzeslawMilosz said perhaps all memory is the memory of wounds. It was awarded Best Documentary at the Australian Film Institute Awards and the Sydney Film Festival.It also received the Script Writing Award at the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards. But that's just 11% of Australia's land mass. This needs to change. The court dismissed his challenge to Australian sovereignty, but in his opinion Justice Lionel Murphy rattled the bones of the Australian settlement. " In 1994 the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) was established in response to Read More The Roundtable was held after there was significant interest on this issue when Commissioner Wilson and I undertook some consultations around the country last year. A lawyer heard the speech and asked . Even though these rights have been watered down over the years, they have enabled us to reach a point where we now own nearly a third of the entire Australian continent and I am told approximately 54% of places like the Northern Territory. The decision. . He immediately saw the injustice of it and from then on dedicated his life to reversing it. (2011 lecture transcript), 2010 Presentation by Professor Chris Sarra. This achievement certainly encourages me. Eddie Mabo knew about love too. Words makaratta. Make an Impact. In particular, Roundtable participants lamented the lack of governance skills amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander landholders to successfully engage in business development and to manage their estates. With support from legal experts, Mabo, along with fellow plaintiffs and Murray Islanders Reverend David Passi, Celuia Mapoo Salee, Sam Passi and James Rice, brought a case against the Queensland Government in the High Court. It is clear that the current system has not delivered what had initially been intended to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Well, Australia now stands at a moment of history. The golden house of is collapses and the world of becoming ascended.". Justice John Willis said: "In Australia it is the colonists not the Aborigines are the foreigners.". You and I know all too well that we live shorter, poorer lives than our non-Aboriginal counterparts. A case was made, and took 10 years to reach a decision. 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This effectively overturned the doctrine of terra nullius, which held that Australia didn't belong to anybody before European colonisation. Mabo and his fellow plaintiff's fought for land on Mer - their ancestral gardens and home. The case presented by Eddie Mabo and the people of Mer successfully proved that Meriam custom and laws are fundamental to their traditional system of ownership and underpin their traditional rights and obligations in relation to land. Eddie Mabo's legal pursuit of these issues resulted in one of the most significant legal cases in Australian history, in that it completely overturned the idea of terra nullius (land belonging to no-one) and challenged traditionally held beliefs about how Australia came into being, and about ownership of land. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 5. Eddie Mabo (left) and . Rob was at the forefront of the fight for land in Western Australia, particularly at Nookanbah and when the WA Government led the resistance to national land rights legislation. In conversations with Commissioner Wilson and others, we are in the midst of developing what the next step in this process should look like and we will continue to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples such as yourselves in order to do this. Until Mabo, we had been a forgotten people, even though we knew that we were in the right.". It felt in this case that the time had come. He is hardworking and determined, but at the cost of his family life. However, whilst the right to development is about improvements in economic and material outcomes, it is also about our rights as Indigenous peoples to self-determination and our rights to control our natural wealth and resources. Yindyamarra is respect: It is quiet, it is humble. "If ever a system could be called a government of laws," he said, "it is shown in the evidence before me.". First, they ask me to pass on their greetings and their thanks for allowing me on your lands. I walked into the news meeting at the ABC with words. Mabo 20 years on: did it change the nation? To make agreements. Court cases in the mid-19th century challenged the idea of British settlement at the time the rulings were in favour of the Crown. Judged by any civilised standard, such a law is unjust ". It was on 3 June 1992 that the Australian High Court overturned more than 200 years of white domination of land ownership. The victory was largely down to one indigenous man called Eddie Mabo. What did Eddie Mabo say in his speech?
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