Transcript ID: 3849. Transcript 3849 | PM Transcripts On Monday, he laid a wreath on Mr Mabo's grave on Mer Island. Finally, the remaining key theme of the meeting was the issue of our right as Indigenous peoples to development. This is yet another reason why a development approach is so urgently needed. This issue of transfer, usability and conversion of title threw up many challenges around how to retain underlying customary title but make it usable in the modern sense. The truth: This was his land. This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty., "This is the torment of our powerlessness.". Australia owes you a great debt. Mabo expressed. On 3 June 1992, six of seven Australian High Court judges ruled: The Meriam people are entitled as against the whole world to possession, occupation, use and enjoyment of the lands of the Murray Islands [in Torres Strait]. Realising these aspirations, is key to our economic development and prosperity as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples where our land is our ultimate asset. Short for Mabo and others v Queensland (No 2) (1992), the Mabo case, led by Eddie Koiki Mabo, an activist for the 1967 Referendum, fought the legal concept that Australia and the Torres Strait Islands were not owned by Indigenous peoples because they did not 'use' the land in ways Europeans believed constituted some kind of legal possession. Birthdays, anniversaries, sports events and special schools days were missed. 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. The 50-minute recording shows Koiki Mabo talking about the history of the Torres Strait Islander community, both in the Torres Strait and on the Australian mainland, and the long term impact on his culture of the coming of Europeans, from the first missionaries to current government administrators. He was another victim of Terra Nullius, like so many of his fellow indigenous people had been before him. [9] UN Development Programme, Human Development Index, UN Human Development Report. The judge's four hundred page report presented Mabo and his barristers with a bombshell which threatened to sink their case. These legal challenges continued into the 20th century rulings maintained the legitimacy of the Crown but could not extinguish completely the Aboriginal claims. Did we miss a chance for a treaty? Charles Passi reflects on the Mabo In New South Wales, the most populous state, Aboriginal people have title over only 0.1% of the land. 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. My people are the Gangulu from the Dawson Valley in Central Queensland. Legacy of Eddie Mabo. A Yolngu word meaning to come together after a struggle. This was apartheid in Australia, not South Africa. One of the people who attended the conference, a lawyer, suggested they should make a case to claim land rights through the court system. The issue of compensation for unfinished business was another key theme of the Roundtable. Volume 3 (146pp). This will always be our land. The legal decision was made by the High Court on 3 June 1992. It contains just 10 articles on what the instrument describes as an, inalienable right, by which every human person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realised.[6]. In 1992 the High Court handed down its historic ruling. Searching for 'Mabo' in RecordSearch brings up many results, including the files below. Eddie Mabo Facts for Kids - Kiddle The significance of Mabo Day - ABC Education We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.. On 21 May 2008, James Cook University named its Townsville campus library the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library. Rachel Perkins, director of the new film, says Mabo's is "an iconic story in the tradition of great Australian tales, how a man, his wife and his mates profoundly changed the nation". But 20 years after the judgement, there's still a debate among constitutionalists, lawyers and politicians about the legacy of Mabo. Australian PM makes historic visit to Mabo's grave - BBC News Two words showed something was wrong with the system, After centuries of Murdaugh rule in the Deep South, the family's power ends with a life sentence for murder, Flooding in southern Malaysia forces 40,000 people to flee homes, When Daniel picked up a dropped box on a busy road, he had no idea it would lead to the 'best present ever', Plans to redevelop 'eyesore' on prime riverside land fall apart as billionaires exit, Labor's pledge for mega koala park in south-west Sydney welcomed by conservation groups, Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan actor, dies aged 61. In 1982, along with four other Meriam people from Murray Island, he initiated legal proceedings in the Queensland Supreme Court claiming customary ownership of their lands on Murray Island. PDF 3 June: a significant date - Reconciliation Australia Mabo (film) - Wikipedia . Mabo: Life of an Island Man - Wikipedia Mabo and his fellow plaintiff's fought for land on Mer - their ancestral gardens and home. Another similarity is something that sometimes we do not acknowledge enough. (2012) This program was published 2 years ago. We did not end. Mabo Day & Native Title: Who was Eddie Mabo & what is his legacy? Eddie Mabo was a staff member at JCU, working as a groundsman from 1967 to 1971. When democracy is teetering and autocracy is rising. To sign treaties. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. There were three key components to this: As you will know, the first two of these three components have been implemented, with varying degrees of success and impact on our communities over the years. A case was made, and took 10 years to reach a decision. Eddie Mabo Case Study - 1556 Words | 123 Help Me Love, suffering, hope, justice and truth Eddie Mabo knew about love too. 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. During this time he enrolled as a student and studied teaching at the College of Advanced Education, which later amalgamated with JCU. Barrister Ron Castan, Eddie Mabo and barrister Bryan Keon-Cohen at . The former president of Western Australia's Liberal Party, Bill Hassel, said the ruling was greeted with "outrage". This effectively overturned the doctrine of terra nullius, which held that Australia didn't belong to anybody before European colonisation. First, they ask me to pass on their greetings and their thanks for allowing me on your lands. That is the view most widely endorsed by history. When our world is ablaze with conflict. Justice Blackburn ruled Australia was indeed a "settled colony", that this was"desert and uncultivated". Overwhelmingly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have indicated that it is time for a new process of engagement to occur with the government on the topic of our rights after native title. "If ever a system could be called a government of laws," he said, "it is shown in the evidence before me.". Commemorating Mabo Day - Reconciliation Australia The National Archives holds a diverse array of records relating to the Mabo case. At: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/property-rights-will-help-economic-development-of-indigenous-australians/story-e6frg6z6-1227365821530 (viewed 3 June 2015), [4] T Calma, Native Title Report 2005, Australian Human Rights Commission, 2005, p82. I have previously spoken at length about the importance of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which contains 46 articles on the rights that Indigenous peoples all around the world hold. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. Mabo vs Queensland possible Commonwealth interventions, 1991 (A14039, 7909), The Mabo Decision principles for a response, 1993 (A14217, 1042), Mabo responses to the outline of legislation, 1993 (A14217, 1322), Mabo collection at the National Library of Australia, Building trust in the public record policy, Getting started with information management. As this brave mans voice even as he had passed was heard by another man who is now gone and together they changed us. 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. Family gatherings were foregone. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. The conference, 'Land Rights and the Future of Australian Race Relations', was sponsored by the Townsville Treaty Committee and the James Cook University's Student Union. The world of becoming ascends. [12] Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), preamble. Of law. Mabo's love for his homeland drove the proud Torres Strait Islander to undertake a 10- year legal battle that rewrote Australia's history. The Mabo verdict was arguably the most significant court ruling in the history of Indigenous Australia, overturning the concept of terra nullius and paving the way for native title. Thank you Russell for your kind words of introduction. Mabo footage released for the first time - Jun 2020 - JCU Australia Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? [1] Cast [ edit] Jimi Bani as Eddie Mabo Gedor Zaro as Young Eddie Deborah Mailman as Bonita Mabo (ne Neehow) It is sadness beyond the word sadness itself. Eddie's daughter, Gail Mabo remembers that day well. In August 1981 Mabo attended a conference on land rights at James Cook University. Stan Grant is the ABC's international affairs analyst and presents China Tonight on Monday at 9:35pm on ABC TV, and Tuesday at 8pm on the ABC News Channel, anda co-presenter of Q+A on Thursday at 8:30pm. But who was Eddie Mabo, why did he take up what must have seemed like a hopeless cause and what is the legacy of his campaign? People gathered this week in Townsville, Queensland, to remember a seminal moment in the nation's history, and the efforts of one man to bring it about. Eddie Mabo was a staff member at JCU, working as a groundsman from 1967 to 1971. This is our land. Yet, the first colonialists decided, for commercial reasons, to ignore all that and peddle the view that Aboriginal people were primitive, disorganised, culture-less creatures who deserved no rights over land. Yindyamarra winanghanha. I am sure that these issues will resonate with many of you here today. Watch all your favourite ABC programs on ABC iview. A decade later, I was a young reporter still in my early 20s, finding my way into the foreign world of journalism when I saw a listing for a case at the High Court. 2004 Presentation by Fr Frank Brennan SJ AO. 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. Six facts you need to know about Mabo Day - Life Without Barriers I like how the words create a rhythm. From 1973-1983 he established and became director of the Black Community School in Townsville. Alex Murdaugh jailed for life for double murder, Why the disgraced lawyer was spared death penalty, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. Tony Abbott thanks Eddie Mabo daughter 'Aunty Gail' for helping him . We pay our respects to the people, their cultures and Elders past, present and emerging. Eddie Mabo and Gerard Brennan overturned the terra nullius policy and changed Australia forever. However, the social justice package, which was meant to address compensation for the dispossession of land and the dispersal of the Indigenous population remains unfulfilled.[4]. He was right. The justices spoke of a legacy of "unutterable shame"and that the dispossession of Indigenous people was the darkest aspect of Australia's history. A clear theme from the Broome Roundtable revealed a common frustration among many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Eddie Mabo Biography Worksheet | Australian Resources - Twinkl Mabo and others: products or agents of progress? Court cases in the mid-19th century challenged the idea of British settlement at the time the rulings were in favour of the Crown. Mabo died five months earlier from cancer in January 1992, at the age of 55. "Quite simply, Eddie Mabo brought an end to a two-centuries-old lie," says Rachel Perkins, director and inspiration behind the new movie, Mabo, released to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the historic High Court case. Eddie Mabo - Wikipedia