But we know that these scales do not capture the social disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. More information. Mabo: Life of an Island Man is a 1997 Australian documentary film on the life of Indigenous Australian land rights campaigner Eddie Koiki Mabo.. 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 . Meriam history and culture were crucial to the success of the Mabo case. They claimed that Murray Island (Mer) and surrounding islands and reefs had been continuously inhabited and exclusively possessed by the Meriam people . Edward Koiki Mabo was born on 29 June 1936. (2010 lecture transcript). He would later describe his time on the island as 'the best time of my life'1. 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. This sovereignty is a spiritual notion: the ancestral tie between the land, or "mother nature", and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were born therefrom, remain attached thereto, and must one day return thither to be united with our ancestors. The world of becoming ascends. The Mabo decision What is the Mabo decision? the belief that Australia and its islands belonged to no-one when claimed by the British in 1770) in a landmark court . This often presents internal issues for traditional owner groups about how decisions are made and how benefits will be shared and responsibilities exercised. To seek justice we had to speak the words of British law. JCU websites use cookies to enhance user experience, analyse site usage, and assist with outreach and enrolment. 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. Unfortunately, the right to development is not a concept often thought about in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as members of a developed country. 2019. It is clear that we have seen a change in momentum as far as this space is concerned. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? 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. Read about our approach to external linking. He knew about suffering. Australian law for two centuries hid the truth behind words. Read about our approach to external linking. Mabo's love for his homeland drove the proud Torres Strait Islander to undertake a 10- year legal battle that rewrote Australia's history. . 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. He's recorded as saying: "No way, it's not theirs, it's ours." 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. This will always be our land. 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. B12 of 1982 in the High Court of Australia). 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. When democracy is teetering and autocracy is rising. He was right. OM95-26 Mabo Cutting Books 1990-1994 - (2 vols.) 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. Mabo expressed disbelief and shock. But without warriors such as Eddie, David and James, Rob and countless others, we would not be in the position regarding Indigenous land tenure that we are in today. Eddie Mabo was a staff member at JCU, working as a groundsman from 1967 to 1971. 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 . Eddie Mabo and Gerard Brennan overturned the terra nullius policy and changed Australia forever. 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 . That word is emblazoned still at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy on the lawns of the Old Parliament House in Canberra. Mabo Day occurs annually in Australia on 3rd June. 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. We are currently not sharing in the developmental prosperity for which Australia is known. 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. Bonita 'Netta' Mabo: Eddie's wife and is a resourceful, supportive and loving woman. Eddie Koiki Mabo was an advocate of the 1967 Referendum, fighting for equal rights including education. It is lament. Words like han. Mabo was a Torres Strait islander from Mer (Murray Island), off Australia's north-east coast. [1] J Altman., (2014) Scullion Peddles pipedream reforms, Journal of Indigenous Policy, At: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/JlIndigP/2014/33.pdf (viewed 5 June 2015). 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. 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". 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. In the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Governments have committed themselves to the economic development of our communities. 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. It is short for Mabo and others v Queensland (No 2) (1992). Mabo's credibility as the primary witness for the case was savaged . . They can raise us to anger then soothe us. During this time he enrolled as a student and studied teaching at the College of Advanced Education, which later amalgamated with JCU. Leeanne Enoch MP, Minister for Housing and Public Works and Minister for Science and Innovation. The National Archives holds a diverse array of records relating to the Mabo case. Promoting Indigenous peoples right to development. 2008 Presentation by The Hon. How might this case shatter the myth of terra nullius? 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. Eddie Koiki Sambo was born on June 29, 1936 on the Torres Strait island of Mer, also known as Murray Island. I walked into the news meeting at the ABC with words. (Transcript), 2014 Presentation byMs Shannan Dodson, Digital Campaign Manager, Recognise Australia. 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]. It would most likely still be in place had it not been for Eddie Koiki Mabo. 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. At http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/reports/264/hdr_2003_en_complete.pdf (viewed 9 June 2015). We are still trying to find the words to equal the full measure of Eddie Mabo's devotion. 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. [9] UN Development Programme, Human Development Index, UN Human Development Report. So today it is indeed an honour for both my people and myself to be presenting this year's Edward Koiki Mabo Lecture. First, they ask me to pass on their greetings and their thanks for allowing me on your lands. 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. Text 1936 During this time he became involved in community and political organisations, such as the union movement and the 1967 Referendum campaign. 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. Six weeks later his father died. 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. The Mabo decision was named after Eddie Mabo, the The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. I like words. Husband, father, grandfather, mate, advocate, achiever, Principal and mentor. Eternal. 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. One of the people who attended the conference, a lawyer, suggested they should make a case to claim land rights through the court system. "It gave us back our pride. To Eddie Koiki Mabo and chief justice Sir Gerard Brennan. In 1959, he moved to mainland Queensland, working on pearling vessels and as a labourer. In 1974, he became involved in a discussion with two academics. 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. 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]. 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. Indigenous Education and Research Centre 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. The justices spoke of a legacy of "unutterable shame"and that the dispossession of Indigenous people was the darkest aspect of Australia's history. This case, I said thisman Mabo will change Australia. Fungibility and native title. Other forms of recognition have been added. 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. Others, mainly white opponents, regarded the judgement as a mistake. 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 ! 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. When voices within democracies silenced and marginalised are demanding to be heard, we are bringing oursand challenging our democracy to examine itself and for our constitution to be seeded in the first footprints, not just the first settlers. This independence could be realized through greater roles for Indigenous landholders through business, land management and other opportunities. Gail Mabo and Prime Minister Tony Abbott during their visit to the grave of Eddie Mabo on Mer Island. 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. A world turning. The truth: This was his land. The practical effects of Mabo have, indeed, been mixed, judging by figures from the Koori Mail, a national indigenous-owned newspaper. Born in 1936, he grew up in the village of Las on the north bend of Mer Island. These are the traditional lands and waters of the Meriam people, and the final resting place of Eddie Mabo in Las Village.