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. It remains a collection of canvas and tin, but it has grown in those years since a handful of young Aboriginal activists planted a beach umbrella and wrote the word Embassy on a manila folder, to shake a fist at the power on the hill. 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. As Noel Pearson has recently said in relation to this issue: Were moving from a land rights claim phase to a land rights use phase where people are grappling with how we make our land contribute to our development.[3]. AAP. Reynolds struck up a friendship with Eddie Mabo, who was then a groundsman and gardener at James Cook University. The man who had engineered the historic change of law, never lived to witness it himself. 2006 Presentation by Professor Larissa Behrendt. A lawyer heard the speech and asked Eddie if he would like to challenge the Australian Government in the court system, to decide who the true owner of the land on Mer was, his . He is best known for the two court cases that bear his name, Mabo v. Queensland (numbers 1 and 2). Legacy of Eddie Mabo. . 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. Friendship with Eddie Mabo. (2013 lecture transcript), 2012 Presentation by Professor Henry Reynolds. In 1959, he moved to mainland Queensland, working on pearling vessels and as a labourer. To strengthen our democracy as Eddie Mabo strengthened our law. Participants identified that we need to start considering the role of the financial services industry, as well as agencies such as Indigenous Business Australia and the Indigenous Land Corporation in the context of our economic development. When the decision overturning Terra Nullius eventually came, the judges referred to the policy as "the darkest aspect of (our) national history" and one that left "a legacy of unutterable shame". Transcript. Mabo was a Torres Strait islander from Mer (Murray Island), off Australia's north-east coast. This was apartheid in Australia, not South Africa. Typical of such awards, the citations are generally understated and this is particularly so in your case. The new Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, says there will be a referendum to enshrine a voice an Indigenous representative body in the Australian constitution. Leeanne Enoch MP, Minister for Housing and Public Works and Minister for Science and Innovation. Elders saythe wateris now a battleground. Mabo: Life of an Island Man is a 1997 Australian documentary film on the life of Indigenous Australian land rights campaigner Eddie Koiki Mabo.. Eddie Koiki Mabo: Land Rights in the Torres Strait I would like to first of all express my sincere thanks to the organizers of this conference: in particular the James Cook University Student Union and the Aboriginal Treaty Committee in Townsville for allowing me to speak at this very important conference. When our world is ablaze with conflict. 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 8 th of May in Perth. Make an Impact. Six weeks later his father died. Eddie Koiki Mabo Lecture Series. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter', Why half of India's urban women stay at home. That's why the legal decision is universally known as "Mabo". Some went further, fuelling the hysteria with unsubstantiated claims - Jeff Kennett, then the premier of Victoria, said suburban backyards could be at risk of takeover by Aboriginal people. The practical effects of Mabo have, indeed, been mixed, judging by figures from the Koori Mail, a national indigenous-owned newspaper. The world of becoming ascends. Yindyamarra winanghanha. Volume 1 (227pp), Volume 2 (58pp). But we know that these scales do not capture the social disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 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. We know sadness. and in 2008 James Cook University named its Townsville campus library the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library. The preamble to the Native Title Act makes it clear that the objectives of the legislation are to: rectify the consequences of past injustices by the special measures contained in the Act to ensure that Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders receive the full recognition and status within the Australian nation to which history, their prior rights and interests, and their rich and diverse culture, fully entitle them to aspire.[11]. He knew about suffering. "He became a driven man," says his friend and documentary maker, Trevor Graham. Can I also acknowledge all you here today who have come together to work out how we can access our land, seas and waters easier and quicker, but who have also come to talk to each other about how we can make better use of our estates to make life a little better for the rest of our mob out there. My people are the Gangulu from the Dawson Valley in Central Queensland. Eddie Mabo at James Cook University, early 1980s Series 8. 3. Business development support and succession planning. 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 decision. Two generations talk about the impact of the 1967 Referendum and the 1992 Mabo Decision . This needs to change. active, free and meaningful participation in development; self-determination and full sovereignty over natural wealth and resources. Together yindyamarra winanghanha means to live with respect in a world worth living in. They both endured early hard lives that steeled them for the struggles that would eventually come their way. 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]. Until that day, the legal fiction of terra nullius, the land belonging to no-one, had characterised Australian law and land titles since the voyage of Captain Cook. Edward Koiki Mabo was born on 29 June 1936. 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. However, most importantly of all, we are now faced with the challenge of how to make the most of our rights to land and native title once we have them, for our prosperity and sustainability. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? The Roundtable included a diverse range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with nearly 50 people in total from as far and wide as the Torres Straits, the Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Sydney, the Kimberley and Darwin. I also acknowledge the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion who is here today and my colleague Tim Wilson, our Australian Human Rights Commissioner. SPEECH - THURSDAY, 3 JUNE . 2008 Presentation by The Hon. It was on 3 June 1992 that the Australian High Court overturned more than 200 years of white domination of land ownership. I have heard it at dawn as the earth crackles, the river waters run, and the animals stir as the Sun peers above the hills and the light strikes the trees on my beloved Wiradjuri country. While working as a gardener at James Cook University, he found out through two historians that, by law, he and his family did not own their land on Mer. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.. Governance has always been at the core of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and our community life. At: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/ALRCRefJl/2009/15.html#FootnoteB6 (viewed 9 June 2015). For the love of his family and tradition, he fights for his land on Murray Island. It commemoratesEdward (Eddie) Koiki Mabo (1936-1992), a Torres Strait Islander whose campaign for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land rights led to a landmark decision in the High Court of Australia on 3rd June 1992 that overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius, which had characterised Australian law with respect to land and title since the voyage of Captain James Cook in 1770. British law under a British flag. Justice John Willis said: "In Australia it is the colonists not the Aborigines are the foreigners.". Eddie Koiki Mabo was an advocate of the 1967 Referendum, fighting for equal rights including education. In 1974, he became involved in a discussion with two academics. Eddie's daughter, Gail Mabo remembers that day well. [3] N Pearson in The Australian, Property rights will help economical development of Indigenous Australians, 22 May 2015. 23 Nov 1990 - 21 Oct 1994 Library at the University College of Townsville, Queensland. We all know about the legacy of native title left by Meriam and Murray Islanders Edward Koiki Mabo, David Passi and James Rice. Words like the Uluru Statement from the Heart: We, gathered at the 2017 National Constitutional Convention, coming from all points of the southern sky, make this statement from the heart: Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribes were the first sovereign Nations of the Australian continent and its adjacent islands, and possessed it under our own laws and customs. Eddie Koiki Mabo presents a guest lecture about the Torres Strait Islander community 2,837 views Nov 18, 2020 51 Dislike Share Save JCU Library 451 subscribers This short video is an excerpt. 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 share. He was, if you like, an Australian Nelson Mandela, someone who led his people in a struggle against incalculable odds, to what was rightfully theirs. There will be many words between now and then. The victory was largely down to one indigenous man called Eddie Mabo. Eddie Mabo wanted to change the law of Terra Nullius and claim the Aboriginal people as the original owners of the land this would change social and political views of the aboriginal people. [1] Cast [ edit] Jimi Bani as Eddie Mabo Gedor Zaro as Young Eddie Deborah Mailman as Bonita Mabo (ne Neehow) It clearly did not, for instance, lead to vast numbers of white Australians being forced from their homes, businesses, mines or farms. 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? From 1973-1983 he established and became director of the Black Community School in Townsville. We will adapt, we will take advantage of these opportunities and we will leave a great legacy. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? A documentary, Mabo: Life of an Island Man, directed by Trevor Graham, was released in 1997 and received the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Documentary. Ten years before, Eddie Koiki Mabo and his comrades started the legal battle for the recognition of the Meriam people and the ownership of Mer Island. A number of key challenges that face Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were explored, particularly when it comes to the full realization of our rights under land rights and native title. On 21 May 2008, James Cook University named its Townsville campus library the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library. Mabo expressed disbelief and shock. This activity encourages children to write down their knowledge in a structured report . We did not end. Eddie Mabo's heritage and culture were major influencers in his rise to prominence. It is this issue of development that I will explore later in greater detail. Another key challenge that came out of the roundtable was the need to improve the capacity of our mobs to have the necessary advocacy; governance and risk management skills to successful engage in business and manage our estates in order to secure the best possible outcomes for our communities. 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. Eddie Mabo would not live to see his final victory, but in that judgement he became immortal. 5. The theme of this years conference is Leadership, Legacy and Opportunity. In particular, this was raised as a way that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities might be able to leverage finances in order to support economic development opportunities and to improve the capacity of our mobs to best manage these prospects in the future. Hide message. Yindyamarra is respect: It is quiet, it is humble. 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. As much as Australias law tried to tell him he was wrong, he knew his law and he knew that even the law of Britain that had stolen this land had to admit finally admit what we all knew, what Eddie Mabo knew. 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. Our people know han. But it was a bittersweet moment for the indigenous population. 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. In 1981, Eddie Mabo made a speech at James Cook University in Queensland, where he explained his people's beliefs about the ownership and inheritance of land on Mer. But he was wrong. More information. To seek justice we had to speak the words of British law. At the 1981 James Cook University Land Rights Conference Eddie Mabo made a passionate speech about land ownership and ancestral inheritance in the Murray Islands. What is this Eddie Mabo Biography Worksheet? This is our land. 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]. [6] UN Declaration on the Right to Development, Article 1, para 1. 2019. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. In 1981, Eddie Mabo made a speech at James Cook University in Queensland, where he explained his people's beliefs about the ownership and inheritance of land on Mer.