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]. 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. At: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/ALRCRefJl/2009/15.html#FootnoteB6 (viewed 9 June 2015). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that the National Archives' website and collection contain the names, images and voices of people who have died. Australian law for two centuries hid the truth behind words. However, it also raised equally relevant issues around the many state and local government land taxes and rates that apply once conversion has taken place. I also acknowledge Meriam PBC Chair Mr Doug Passi. Volume 3 (146pp). As Kevin Mason divedin the ocean, a compliance officer waswatching on the cliffs above. At: http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-1-human-development-index-and-its-components#a (viewed 9 June 2015). 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. 3. Business development support and succession planning. [1] Cast [ edit] Jimi Bani as Eddie Mabo Gedor Zaro as Young Eddie Deborah Mailman as Bonita Mabo (ne Neehow) Love, kindness, forgiveness; always love. There was something of destiny in the air. "The rights he won in the High Court have been eroded away by government, courts and socio-economic pressure.". Help your class to explore the life of Eddie Mabo with this engaging and educational biography-writing task. He was right. "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.". 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. So, in many ways, the victory has been more symbolic than practical. the belief that Australia and its islands belonged to no-one when claimed by the British in 1770) in a landmark court . [12] Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), preamble. Gail Mabo and Prime Minister Tony Abbott during their visit to the grave of Eddie Mabo on Mer Island. In the Shire of . Family gatherings were foregone. 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). These are the traditional lands and waters of the Meriam people, and the final resting place of Eddie Mabo in Las Village. 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. He's recorded as saying: "No way, it's not theirs, it's ours." Eddie Mabo and Gerard Brennan overturned the terra nullius policy and changed Australia forever. "The golden house of is collapses. Concocted by the early settlers, it was used, systematically, cynically and effectively to deprive the indigenous people of their own 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]. Watch. Mabo expressed disbelief and shock. "Koiki was ambitious for himself and for his people.". 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 . 2023 BBC. Fungibility and native title. 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." How might this case shatter the myth of terra nullius? Here we are 30 years later, still on that journey. Mabo said was that it is my fathers & grandfather's, grandmother's land, I am related to it, it is my identity. This achievement certainly encourages me. The former president of Western Australia's Liberal Party, Bill Hassel, said the ruling was greeted with "outrage". Bonita 'Netta' Mabo: Eddie's wife and is a resourceful, supportive and loving woman. Some key principles underpinning this right are: This Declaration centralizes the role of both the individual and government in the development process, arguing for the State to create national policies to properly ensure the development of all individuals. 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. 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? The Mabo decision was a legal case held in 1992. Eddie Koiki Mabo was an advocate of the 1967 Referendum, fighting for equal rights including education. It was on 3 June 1992 that the Australian High Court overturned more than 200 years of white domination of land ownership. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen No wonder Mr Abbott was visibly moved as he thanked "Aunty Gail" for . In going down this track we have to understand and have to get these institutions to understand that there is a fair dinkum business case for doing this because we have had enough of welfare and charity. In 1982, Eddie Mabo and four others began action seeking a legal declaratcion of their traditional land rights in the Murray islands of the Torres Strait, Tvn years later onL 3 June 1992, the High Court decided that his people were entitled as against the whole of ! According to his daughter Gail Mabo, it 'fuelled his determination for recognition and equality in society'. And he was right. The court dismissed his challenge to Australian sovereignty, but in his opinion Justice Lionel Murphy rattled the bones of the Australian settlement. " 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. 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 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. 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. 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. Thank you Russell for your kind words of introduction. More information. The truth: This was his land. For many at JCU, the landmark legal decision has been rendered personal, as well as political and historic, because of Eddie's important association with JCU staff and students, and with our surrounding communities. He had refused to surrender his interests, or those of his people, to the domination of others. 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". This case, I said thisman Mabo will change Australia. Suggested answer: While working as a grounds keeper at James Cook University in Townsville, Eddie learnt about Australian land ownership laws. 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. 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. Eddie's daughter, Gail Mabo remembers that day well. OM95-26 Mabo Cutting Books 1990-1994 - (2 vols.) This is yet another reason why a development approach is so urgently needed. "It gave us back our pride. The decision. Gail, to your Mum Bonita, to Eddie Junior, Wannee, Bethal, Celuia, Ezra, Mario, Malita, Malcolm, Jessie and to you Gail, can I pay special tribute to for the generosity of you all in giving your husband and Dad to us. I had read about the case as it moved through the lower courts. This Declaration on the Right to Development was adopted by the General Assembly in 1986. This will always be our land. (2014 lecture transcript), 2013 Presentation by Dr Bryan Keon-Cohen QC. I think much of the dialogue on this issue in Australia has revolved around how to protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from development as opposed to how to realize our rights to development and the associated benefits that come with it. We cross rivers and we are changed like the water itself. : he world to possession and I emfphasise Opossessions Court cases in the mid-19th century challenged the idea of British settlement at the time the rulings were in favour of the Crown. That was Eddie Mabos gift. The golden house of is collapses and the world of becoming ascended.". The golden house of is of culture and connection, of blood and dreaming, of time immemorial how the golden house of is collapses. Mabo 20 years on: did it change the nation? To seek justice we had to speak the words of British law. Sign up for free to create engaging, inspiring, and converting videos with Powtoon. The issue of compensation for unfinished business was another key theme of the Roundtable. But alongside . I must say though, that beyond economic development, effective governance is critical to ensuring that our organisations are transparent and accountable to our communities and this is one challenge to which we must rise. eddie began his Journey on changing the rights by Making a speech at a land rights conference at the James Cook University his speech explained the traditional land owners and the inheritance system that . Watch all your favourite ABC programs on ABC iview. Mabo: Life of an Island Man is a 1997 Australian documentary film on the life of Indigenous Australian land rights campaigner Eddie Koiki Mabo.. The commitment to a land fund; and importantly, participation in decision-making underpinned by the concept of free, prior and informed consent and good faith. Uncle Edward 'Koiki' Mabo was born in 1936, in Las on the island of Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait to 'Robert' Zesou Sambo and 'Annie' Poipe, ne Mabo. 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. This often presents internal issues for traditional owner groups about how decisions are made and how benefits will be shared and responsibilities exercised. There will be many words between now and then. This needs to change. (Transcript), 2014 Presentation byMs Shannan Dodson, Digital Campaign Manager, Recognise Australia. 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. But he had to find words to speak a deeper truth even as he upheld the myth of terra nullius that Aboriginal people, he said, had a "subtle and elaborate system of law". 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. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. Across language itself. 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. 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]. 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. But we know that these scales do not capture the social disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The National Archives holds a diverse array of records relating to the Mabo case. Eddie Mabo at James Cook University, early 1980s Series 8. He knew about suffering. These often hamper the development and economic aspirations of the communities involved right from the start. But it was a bittersweet moment for the indigenous population. Today I want to talk about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can be the leaders to grasp new opportunities that will leave a legacy for generations to come. 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. 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. But that's just 11% of Australia's land mass. The High Court is the highest court in Australia's judicial system. Eddie Mabo would not live to see his final victory, but in that judgement he became immortal. AAP. Eddie Koiki Mabo died of cancer on 21 January 1991, before the case was resolved. A panel of judges at the High Court ruled that Aboriginal people were the rightful custodians of the land. We cannot cross the same stream twice. Justice John Willis said: "In Australia it is the colonists not the Aborigines are the foreigners.". To strengthen our democracy as Eddie Mabo strengthened our law. He knew about hope and he knew about justice. Eddie Koiki Sambo was born on June 29, 1936 on the Torres Strait island of Mer, also known as Murray Island. Hide message. Eddie Mabo was a staff member at JCU, working as a groundsman from 1967 to 1971. However the Federal Court found that the South Australian government were liable for an undisclosed amount to the Nguraritja people for parcels of land over which, but for the prior extinguishing acts of government, they would have held native title. And these were the costs borne by the whole family. It is a feeling. Only land such as vacant crown land, national parks and some leased land, can be subject to claims by the Aboriginal owners. 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. This is an edited extract of the 2022 Mabo Lecture, delivered by Stan Grant on June 3, 2022, to commemorate 30 years since the Mabo decision. 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]. Yindyamarra winanghanha. 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. For 50 years this embassy has stood as a reminder that we are still here. The theme of this years conference is Leadership, Legacy and Opportunity. This was our land. 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. I want to give two words from my people, Wiradjuri. The memory of wounds. It is clear that the current system has not delivered what had initially been intended to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Friends we are the First Peoples of this country and we are the oldest living culture in the world because of our ability to adapt to ever changing environments and circumstances. They claimed that Murray Island (Mer) and surrounding islands and reefs had been continuously inhabited and exclusively possessed by the Meriam people . Our people know han. B12 of 1982 in the High Court of Australia). In-text: (Two generations talk about the impact of the 1967 Referendum and the 1992 Mabo Decision, 2019) Your Bibliography: Time Out Sydney. In 2014, Australia ranked second after Norway, in the United Nations Human Development Index,[9] a position that would seem to indicate that we all enjoy a quality of life superior to most others in the world. Transcript notes - MABO, Eddie, RICE, James v State of Queensland and Commonwealth of Australia, ITM1641344 Some records include terms and views that are not appropriate today. In acknowledging the traditional rights of the Meriam people to their land, the court also held that native title existed for all Indigenous people. 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. A world turning. Drama Biopic Inspiring. He told them of his dream of ending his days on Murray Island, on the ancestral land that had been handed down through his family for 15 generations. The courts had previously found that the Nguraritja had non-exclusive native title over certain parcels of land, but not over those where native title had already been extinguished. In fact, the court went to considerable lengths to establish that the impact of its judgment will be minimal on non-Aboriginal Australians. He's recorded as saying: "No way, it's not theirs, it's ours." But he was wrong. And he knew truth. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice, Copyright Australian Human Rights Commission, http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/JlIndigP/2014/33.pdf, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/property-rights-will-help-economic-development-of-indigenous-australians/story-e6frg6z6-1227365821530, https://www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/document/publication/social_justice_native_title_report_2013.pdf, http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/native-title-report-2008, http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/RealizingaVisionforTransformativeDevelopment.aspx, http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/ALRCRefJl/2009/15.html#FootnoteB6, http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-1-human-development-index-and-its-components#a, http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/reports/264/hdr_2003_en_complete.pdf. 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. 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. The debate about Mabo's legacy still goes on today, Many indigenous Australians still live in poverty, Bakhmut attacks still being repelled, says Ukraine, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Mother who killed her five children euthanised, Canadian grandma helps police snag phone scammer, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Zoom boss Greg Tomb fired without cause. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? A discussion of Mabo Day (June 3), which commemorates Torres Strait Islander activist Eddie Koiki Mabo and the historic Mabo decision, in which the High Court of Australia acknowledged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' land rights. Three bound volumes regarding the determination of a reference from the High Court of Australia of the factual issues raised in the action by Eddie Mabo and others - prepared by Justice Moynihan. What did Eddie Mabo say in his speech? 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. Uncle Eddie 'Koiki' Mabo. On Monday, he laid a wreath on Mr Mabo's grave on Mer Island. Other forms of recognition have been added. The man who had engineered the historic change of law, never lived to witness it himself. 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. Tenacity, fearlessness, fearsome, tireless are some of the words that come to mind when the names Rob Riley and Eddie Mabo are mentioned. 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 . and in 2008 James Cook University named its Townsville campus library the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library. That is, how do we build on the underlying communal title to create options for our economic development? In that book he argued, contrary to theories of Charles Darwin, that it was not the fittest or the strongest nor the smartest that survive but those who can manage change, that is it is the most adaptable who survive. Leeanne Enoch MP, Minister for Housing and Public Works and Minister for Science and Innovation. "If ever a system could be called a government of laws," he said, "it is shown in the evidence before me.". 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. I honour your Elders that have come before you, those that are here today and I wait in optimistic anticipation for those Elders who are yet to emerge. Meriam history and culture were crucial to the success of the Mabo case. Words makaratta. He was a Meriam man and grew up on Mer, part of the Murray Island Group in the Torres Strait. 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. 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. In a snapshot. Eddie Mabo was heartbroken and never forgave government authorities. 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 while back I read a business management book by an American, Leon C. Megginson. The Keating government gave effect to the Mabo decision by introducing the Native Title Act 1993, which facilitated the process of recognising native title. 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. This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty., "This is the torment of our powerlessness.". The practical effects of Mabo have, indeed, been mixed, judging by figures from the Koori Mail, a national indigenous-owned newspaper. I stand here proud to bring a message from my Elders. British law was the law of the colony and usurped and superseded Aboriginal law. 2017 presentation by Professor Megan Davis, Pro Vice Chancellor Indigenous, University of New South Wales. [11]Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), preamble. 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. 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. But he was wrong. But that hasn't stopped indigenous people, like Queensland elder Douglas Bon, taking great satisfaction in the ruling. 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. To Eddie Koiki Mabo and chief justice Sir Gerard Brennan. These skills will enable us to make better and informed decisions for maximum benefit and I look forward, as I am sure you do, to the release of IBAs investment principles, which they are currently developing in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations across the country. 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.