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They then said to tell you they are aware of your continued fight for your culture and your country and salute you for your ongoing struggle. Legacy of Eddie Mabo. He also co-operated with members of the Communist Party, the only white political party to support Aboriginal campaigns at the time. Mabo said was that it is my fathers & grandfather's, grandmother's land, I am related to it, it is my identity. Words like han. Watch all your favourite ABC programs on ABC iview. I hope that youll share with me the need to move this conversation forward, in order to best realise our rights under native title and the benefits that should follow from that. Mabo tells the story of one of Australia's national heroes - Eddie Koiki Mabo, the Torres Strait Islander man who left school at age 15, yet spearheaded the High Court challenge that overthrew the fiction of terra nullius. In 1973 Mabo founded the Black Community School in Townsville, which was created to educate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and preserve traditional knowledge and practices. Eddie Mabo at James Cook University, early 1980s Series 8. [2] Australian Human Rights Commission, Paper on Indigenous Leaders Roundtable, Property Rights, p4. 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. This independence could be realized through greater roles for Indigenous landholders through business, land management and other opportunities. 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(2012 lecture transcript), 2011 Presentation by Mr Mick Gooda, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner. 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. We are still trying to find the words to equal the full measure of Eddie Mabo's devotion. On 3 June 1992 the High Court of Australia ruled that a group of Torres Strait Islander people, led by Eddie Mabo, owned the island of Mer (Murray Island). Eddie Koiki Mabo: A Meriam man, husband to Bonita Mabo and father to 10 children. Mabo rejected the more militant direct action tactics of the land rights movement, seeing the most important goal as being to destroy the legal justification for what he regarded as land theft. Until Mabo, we had been a forgotten people, even though we knew that we were in the right.". We all know about the legacy of native title left by Meriam and Murray Islanders Edward Koiki Mabo, David Passi and James Rice. British law was the law of the colony and usurped and superseded Aboriginal law. Others, mainly white opponents, regarded the judgement as a mistake. 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. The remarkable life story of Eddie 'Koiki' Mabo; a Torres Strait Islander who left school at the age of 15, yet spearheaded the High Court challenge that overthrew the fiction of terra nullius. The fall of the golden house of is but not the end. 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. Please join with me in acknowledging the life long accomplishments of Russell Taylor. This is our land. At: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/document/publication/social_justice_native_title_report_2013.pdf (viewed 5 June 2015), [5] T Calma, Native Title Report 2008, Australian Human Rights Commission (2009), p 46. The golden house of is collapses and the world of becoming ascended.". It was during a stint as a gardener at the James Cook University at Townsville in Queensland, that his eyes were opened to the greatest injustice his people had ever been subjected to. This landmark decision led to the Australian Government introducing native title . B12 of 1982 in the High Court of Australia). No transcript available, 2016 Lecture Presentation by Professor N M Nakata, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Indigenous Education and Strategy, James Cook University (Transcript), 2016 Lecture Presentation by Professor N M Nakata, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Indigenous Education and Strategy, James Cook University (2016 Lecture Transcript), 2015 Presentation by The Hon. Eddie Mabo and Gerard Brennan overturned the terra nullius policy and changed Australia forever. It is clear that the current system has not delivered what had initially been intended to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 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. Speech to the Native Title Conference celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Mabo High Court decision 6 June 2012. . He knew about hope and he knew about justice. Court cases in the mid-19th century challenged the idea of British settlement at the time the rulings were in favour of the Crown. The world of becoming ascends. A culture and a people facing devastation. Eternal. You and I know all too well that we live shorter, poorer lives than our non-Aboriginal counterparts. Reynolds writes: The tools to guide us with a new conversation with Government around the full realization of our rights in relation to land and native title can be found in the UN Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Right to Development. Nor did the judges intend that it should. Mabo's love for his homeland drove the proud Torres Strait Islander to undertake a 10- year legal battle that rewrote Australia's history. His mother died during childbirth and he was raised by his mother's brother, Benny Mabo . The judges satisfied themselves that Aboriginal people had been in Australia first, did have a long, rich culture that denoted civilisation and had voluminous evidence of land demarcation, usage and inheritance, to back up their claims of longevity and history. In 1979 Wiradjuri man and law student Paul Coewalked the path that Eddie Mabo would follow all the way to the High Court of Australia. We go on, he said, ever, ever, ever on. The judge's four hundred page report presented Mabo and his barristers with a bombshell which threatened to sink their case. Typical of such awards, the citations are generally understated and this is particularly so in your case. According to accounts of the conversation, the two scholarly figures looked at each other and then, delicately, told Mabo that he didn't own the land and that it was Crown land. In acknowledging the traditional rights of the Meriam people to their land, the court also held that native title existed for all Indigenous people. At http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/native-title-report-2008 (viewed 5 June 2015). This is our land. and in 2008 James Cook University named its Townsville campus library the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library. 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. Land claim, 1981-1992 In 1981, at a conference on indigenous land rights in Townsville, a decision was made to pursue a native land title claim for the people of the Murray Islands in the High Court of Australia. I walked into the news meeting at the ABC with words. Eddie Mabo was a staff member at JCU, working as a groundsman from 1967 to 1971. He's recorded as saying: "No way, it's not theirs, it's ours." But he was wrong. In May 1982, Eddie Mabo and four other Meriam people of the Murray Islands in the Torres Strait began action in the High Court of Australia seeking confirmation of their traditional land rights. Strengthening our relationships over lands, territories and resources: the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Climate change from the perspective of the Torres Strait, Beyond Mabo: Native Title and closing the gap, People, identity and place. 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. It does not create any new rights, but rather reaffirms the rights that exist in many other international treaties and conventions. At: http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-1-human-development-index-and-its-components#a (viewed 9 June 2015). Eddie Mabo's dream had come true; a meeting of minds to address the issue of Aboriginal land . Australian law for two centuries hid the truth behind words. Mabo Day is an official holiday in the Torres Shire, celebrated on 3 June. And he knew truth. Make an Impact. This will always be our land. Eddie Koiki Mabo died of cancer on 21 January 1991, before the case was resolved. This our ancestors did, according to the reckoning of our culture, from the Creation, according to the common law from "time immemorial", and according to science more than 60,000 years ago. Bonita 'Netta' Mabo: Eddie's wife and is a resourceful, supportive and loving woman. And in some cases native title had become a millstone, almost drowning people in a sea of regulation, red tape and process without any semblance of necessary support. Born on 29 June 1936 in his village of Las on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait, Eddie Koiki Mabo was the fourth child of Robert Zesou Sambo and Poipe (Sambo) Mabo. 1h 43m. And that is the cost to both men and their families. Sign up for free to create engaging, inspiring, and converting videos with Powtoon. The victory was largely down to one indigenous man called Eddie Mabo. Mabo - as in Eddie Mabo, who famously fought a winning fight against the legal doctrine of terra nullius to enshrine Aboriginal land rights in law - is referenced on two occasions. His mother passed away shortly after his birth and he was adopted by his Uncle Benny and Aunty Maigo Mabo in line with Islander custom. Importantly, the Roundtable highlighted that despite previous promises around compensation for historical dispossession, this has not yet materialized. 2023 BBC. Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in Marine Science, Agriculture Technology and Adoption Centre, Association of Australian University Secretaries, Australian Quantum & Classical Transport Physics Group, Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, Division of Tropical Environments and Societies, Foundation for Australian Literary Studies, IERC Administration and Centre Operations, Torres Strait Islander Research to Policy & Practice Hub, Meriba buay ngalpan wakaythoemamay (We come together to share our thinking), Knowledge Integration for Torres Strait Sustainability: Sey boey wara goeygil nabi yangukudupa, Office of the Vice Chancellor and President, Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease, Contextual Science for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems, Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine, Recognition, national identity and our future. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. 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. The new conversation that we need to be having around our rights to land and resources has been captured in the thematic areas I have just spoken about. 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. Eddie Mabo of Mer island in the Torres Strait spent a decade seeking official recognition of his people's ownership of Mer and on 3 June 1992, the High Court of Australia agreed, rejecting the doctrine that Australia was terra nullius (land belonging to no-one) at the time of European settlement. In the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Governments have committed themselves to the economic development of our communities. He's recorded as saying: "No way, it's not theirs, it's ours." The Declaration incorporates four fundamental human rights principles that can be categorised as: However, the UN Declaration on the Right to Development has been a lesser-known cousin to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I am sure that these issues will resonate with many of you here today. The golden house of is of culture and connection, of blood and dreaming, of time immemorial how the golden house of is collapses. A lawyer heard the speech and asked . When our world is ablaze with conflict. Some records include terms and views that are not appropriate today. Then, in June 1992, the years of sacrifice and persuasion came to fruition. Others, while acknowledging the shortcomings of Mabo's long-term legacy, still regard it as a watershed moment in Australian political, cultural and economic life. 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. 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. Up to April 2010, 84 native title cases had been dealt with by the courts, and 854,000 sq km (330,000 sq miles) is now covered by native title determinations. In his book Why Weren't We Told?, Reynolds describes the talks they had regarding Mabo's people's rights to their lands, on Murray Island, in the Torres Strait. He is best known for the two court cases that bear his name, Mabo v. Queensland (numbers 1 and 2). Eddie Mabo's heritage and culture were major influencers in his rise to prominence. 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. They ruled that the Mabo decision in no way challenges the legality of non-Aboriginal land tenure. The court dismissed his challenge to Australian sovereignty, but in his opinion Justice Lionel Murphy rattled the bones of the Australian settlement. " 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]. Born in 1936, Mabo started life like so many other indigenous people, deprived of a meaningful education, denied access to whites-only buses, cinemas, even toilets. Barrister Ron Castan, Eddie Mabo and barrister Bryan Keon-Cohen at . Mabo and his fellow plaintiff's fought for land on Mer - their ancestral gardens and home. Edward Koiki Mabo ( n Sambo; 29 June 1936 - 21 January 1992) was an Indigenous Australian man from the Torres Strait Islands known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights in Australia, in particular the landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that recognised that indigenous rights to land had continued after the British I want to give two words from my people, Wiradjuri. 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]. 23 Nov 1990 - 21 Oct 1994 Library at the University College of Townsville, Queensland. As Eddie Mabo sketched out his plans to shake the foundations of Australian law, he told his daughter his prophecy: "One day, all of Australia will know my name." Love, suffering, hope, justice and truth Eddie Mabo knew about love too. Mabo expressed disbelief and shock. This needs to change. The theme of this years conference is Leadership, Legacy and Opportunity. Love, kindness, forgiveness; always love. 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". He would later describe his time on the island as 'the best time of my life'1. The High Court is the highest court in Australia's judicial system. I want to begin by honouring and quoting the words of the now late chief justice of the High Court of Australia, Sir Gerard Brennan,the words he wrote in his lead judgement in the Mabo case: The common law itself took from Indigenous inhabitants any right to occupy their traditional land, exposed them to deprivation of the religious, cultural and economic sustenance which the land provides, vested the land effectively in the control of the imperial authorities without any right to compensation and made the Indigenous inhabitants intruders in their own homes and mendicants for a place to live. Whilst the case did little to clarify the legal principles around calculating compensation, it is one example of the positive realization after many years, of the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to land and waters within the native title system. That permission was denied. Watch. The Court also recognised that all Indigenous people in Australia have rights to their land. In 1959, he moved to mainland Queensland, working on pearling vessels and as a labourer. These adjustments are key if we are to translate our inherent legal rights under native title into sustainable opportunities for our people. On 8 December 1988, the High Court ruled this legislation invalid. "The rights he won in the High Court have been eroded away by government, courts and socio-economic pressure.". What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? It is short for Mabo and others v Queensland (No 2) (1992). It is clear that we have seen a change in momentum as far as this space is concerned. The "fallacy" that Perkins speaks of is the concept of Terra Nullius, land belonging to no-one. Other forms of recognition have been added. When democracy is teetering and autocracy is rising. Mabo expressed disbelief and shock. Mabo gained an education, became an activist for black rights and worked with his community to make sure Aboriginal children had their own schools. Indigenous Education and Research Centre Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this site may contain names, images or voices of people who have passed away. Gail Mabo and Prime Minister Tony Abbott during their visit to the grave of Eddie Mabo on Mer Island. These are the traditional lands and waters of the Meriam people, and the final resting place of Eddie Mabo in Las Village. He was a Meriam man and grew up on Mer, part of the Murray Island Group in the Torres Strait. This could also be translated as greater Indigenous control over our lands and resources more generally, and a decrease in the burden placed on Indigenous landholders as I have mentioned earlier today by government and other industries. 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. (2012) This program was published 2 years ago. We pay our respects to the people, their cultures and Elders past, present and emerging. To build a world worth living in. In the Shire of . 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". Eddie Mabo was a Torres Strait Islander activist. 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. Thank you Russell for your kind words of introduction. "For two centuries, the British and then white Australians operated under a fallacy, that somehow Aboriginal people did not exist or have land rights before the first settlers arrived in 1788.". Eddie Mabo was heartbroken and never forgave government authorities. Of invasion. He knew about hope and he knew about justice. From 1973-1983 he established and became director of the Black Community School in Townsville. In August 1981 Mabo attended a conference on land rights at James Cook University. There was scepticism, even cynicism, but I was able to report the story. This case, I said thisman Mabo will change Australia. Twenty three years after the Mabo decision we are going through another adaption as we talk about how we can start to enjoy the benefits that come from land ownership in the same way that is open to all other Australians, without compromising our unique rights as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. During this time he became involved in community and political organisations, such as the union movement and the 1967 Referendum campaign. 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. A Yolngu word meaning to come together after a struggle. That is, after 20 years of operation, we finally saw the first time compensation had been awarded for the extinguishment of native title rights and interests under the Native Title Act. For significant service to the community as a cultural leader and public sector executive in the field of Indigenous affairs.. In 2008, a library at James Cook University was named after him. Here we are 30 years later, still on that journey. Transcript. What is this Eddie Mabo Biography Worksheet? Family gatherings were foregone. While he believed the Murray Island belonged to the Torres Strait Islander people, Australian law stated that the Government owned the land. Help your class to explore the life of Eddie Mabo with this engaging and educational biography-writing task. 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]. In 1974, he became involved in a discussion with two academics. He knew about suffering. This often presents internal issues for traditional owner groups about how decisions are made and how benefits will be shared and responsibilities exercised. . Topics are usually less than 2 minutes long. 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. For 50 years this embassy has stood as a reminder that we are still here. Document: 00003849.pdf 1 Page(s) Speech at the Gurindji Land Ceremony. He immediately saw the injustice of it and from then on dedicated his life to reversing it. At http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/reports/264/hdr_2003_en_complete.pdf (viewed 9 June 2015). Only land such as vacant crown land, national parks and some leased land, can be subject to claims by the Aboriginal owners. The issue of compensation for unfinished business was another key theme of the Roundtable. The earliest papers on the Murray Island land claim are a manuscript and typescript of a speech by Mabo at the Land Rights and Future of Australian Race Relations Conference at James Cook University in 1981. 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 . The Mabo case Records relating to the Mabo case About Eddie Mabo Edward Koiki Mabo was born on 29 June 1936. Searching for 'Mabo' in RecordSearch brings up many results, including the files below. We acknowledge Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islander People as the first inhabitants of the nation, and acknowledge Traditional Custodians of the Australian lands where our staff and students live, learn and work. 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. That's why the legal decision is universally known as "Mabo". First, they ask me to pass on their greetings and their thanks for allowing me on your lands. Following his speech, he was approached by a lawyer, who asked if he'd be interested in taking the Australian Government to court to finally decide who owned the land. My predecessor Dr Tom Calma explained the impact of never implementing a social justice package in 2008: this abyss is one of the underlying reasons why the native title system is under the strain it is under today[5]. They can raise us to anger then soothe us. He had refused to surrender his interests, or those of his people, to the domination of others. On 3 June 1992, six of the seven High Court judges upheld the claim and ruled that the lands of . On November 16, 1990, after a year of considering the facts of the case, Justice Moynihan delivered his written findings to the High Court of Australia. His mother passed away shortly after his birth and he was adopted by his maternal Uncle and Aunt, Benny and Maiga Mabo in line with Islander . 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. Jenny Macklin MP, Minister for Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. It was suggested that we, as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, needed to think outside of the box when it comes to this issue. Transcript ID: 3849. A panel of judges at the High Court ruled that Aboriginal people were the rightful custodians of the land. Mabo made a speech to the audience where he explained the indigenous customary land inheritance system on Murray Island. The legal decision was made by the High Court on 3 June 1992. 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. But despite the success of the '67 campaign, in 1972 Eddie Mabo still had to get permission from the Queensland authorities to visit his dying father on Mer Island. In 1992 the High Court handed down its historic ruling. It felt in this case that the time had come. Han is Korean and it is more than a word. Fungibility and native title. At: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/ALRCRefJl/2009/15.html#FootnoteB6 (viewed 9 June 2015). That was Eddie Mabos gift. Other cases persisted. [3] N Pearson in The Australian, Property rights will help economical development of Indigenous Australians, 22 May 2015. The nation remained diminished. 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. Yindyamarra winanghanha.