eddie mabo speech transcript eddie mabo speech transcript

While he believed the Murray Island belonged to the Torres Strait Islander people, Australian law stated that the Government owned the land. He immediately saw the injustice of it and from then on dedicated his life to reversing it. The Mabo decision was a legal case held in 1992. In New South Wales, the most populous state, Aboriginal people have title over only 0.1% of the land. Please join with me in acknowledging the life long accomplishments of Russell Taylor. 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. Eddie Mabo knew about love too. To Eddie Koiki Mabo and chief justice Sir Gerard Brennan. He is hardworking and determined, but at the cost of his family life. 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". 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. 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. 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. Resting Place of Eddie Mabo. 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 is our land. Mr Mabo died in 1992 just months before his 10-year legal battle for native title rights proved successful. That is, how do we build on the underlying communal title to create options for our economic development? (2010 lecture transcript). We cross rivers and we are changed like the water itself. As Kevin Mason divedin the ocean, a compliance officer waswatching on the cliffs above. . Australia owes you a great debt. But 20 years after the judgement, there's still a debate among constitutionalists, lawyers and politicians about the legacy of Mabo. Despite the fact that the challenge of gaining native title is still a fight that many of us share, there has been a shift in focus now and we have started to see a gradual change in terms of ownership. Only land such as vacant crown land, national parks and some leased land, can be subject to claims by the Aboriginal owners. 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. Overwhelmingly, what participants told us at the Roundtable was that whilst there had been an expansion of the Indigenous estate since the commencement of the Native Title Act that it largely has not delivered sustainable outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 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. But that hasn't stopped indigenous people, like Queensland elder Douglas Bon, taking great satisfaction in the ruling. In 1992 the High Court handed down its historic ruling. 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]. active, free and meaningful participation in development; self-determination and full sovereignty over natural wealth and resources. 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. 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. 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. Justice Blackburn ruled Australia was indeed a "settled colony", that this was"desert and uncultivated". They ruled that the Mabo decision in no way challenges the legality of non-Aboriginal land tenure. 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. Mabo said was that it is my fathers & grandfather's, grandmother's land, I am related to it, it is my identity. He also co-operated with members of the Communist Party, the only white political party to support Aboriginal campaigns at the time. He was another victim of Terra Nullius, like so many of his fellow indigenous people had been before him. He had refused to surrender his interests, or those of his people, to the domination of others. Governance has always been at the core of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and our community life. 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 . Fungibility and native title. Mabo Day occurs annually in Australia on 3rd June. British law under a British flag. Few Australians then knew the name Eddie Mabo. 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. 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. Words like han. Topics are usually less than 2 minutes long. 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. But he was wrong. Milosz wrote into the horror of the 20th century as he saw war all around him. Words. At 31, this affrontery became his epiphany. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. This effectively overturned the doctrine of terra nullius, which held that Australia didn't belong to anybody before European colonisation. Mabo expressed. He knew about hope and he knew about justice. 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 my tribute to Rob, I mentioned how losing that fight for national land rights lit the fires for what was to become the fight for native title led by Eddie, with Rob being part of the leadership that negotiated the Native Title Act through the national parliament to give legislative effect to the High Court decision championed by Eddie. Winanghanha is to return to knowing: to know what we have always known. The Mabo case Records relating to the Mabo case About Eddie Mabo Edward Koiki Mabo was born on 29 June 1936. How might this case shatter the myth of terra nullius? 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. A culture and a people facing devastation. Jenny Macklin MP, Minister for Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Document: 00003849.pdf 1 Page(s) Speech at the Gurindji Land Ceremony. Mabo expressed disbelief and shock. the Aborigines did not give up their lands peacefully; they were killed or removed forcibly from the lands by United Kingdom forces or the European colonists in what amounted to attempted (and in Tasmania almost complete) genocide.". These often hamper the development and economic aspirations of the communities involved right from the start. Mabo: Life of an Island Man is a 1997 Australian documentary film on the life of Indigenous Australian land rights campaigner Eddie Koiki Mabo.. 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. 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. In acknowledging the traditional rights of the Meriam people to their land, the court also held that native title existed for all Indigenous people. Ten years later, he conceded his fears were unfounded. The "fallacy" that Perkins speaks of is the concept of Terra Nullius, land belonging to no-one. 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. His mother died during childbirth and he was raised by his mother's brother, Benny Mabo . To make agreements. 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. I stand here proud to bring a message from my Elders. In a snapshot. During this time he became involved in community and political organisations, such as the union movement and the 1967 Referendum campaign. The victory was largely down to one indigenous man called Eddie Mabo. 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. 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. Searching for 'Mabo' in RecordSearch brings up many results, including the files below. Eternal. 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. The golden house of is of culture and connection, of blood and dreaming, of time immemorial how the golden house of is collapses. 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. He petitioned, campaigned, cajoled and questioned Terra Nullius for 18 years. Eddie Mabo was a great hero to the Australian people. We know sadness. 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. To strengthen our democracy as Eddie Mabo strengthened our law. [9] UN Development Programme, Human Development Index, UN Human Development Report. We all know about the legacy of native title left by Meriam and Murray Islanders Edward Koiki Mabo, David Passi and James Rice. 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. 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. "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. Aboriginal Australians are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their landmark victory over land rights. Eddie Koiki Mabo (c. 29 June 1936 - 21 January 1992 [1]) was an Australian man from the Torres Strait Islands known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights and for his role in a landmark decision of the High Court of Australia which overturned the legal doctrine of terra nullius ("land belonging to nobody") which characterised These barriers all prevent us from using our land to enter into the economy from which we can see ourselves and our communities thrive. That word is emblazoned still at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy on the lawns of the Old Parliament House in Canberra. 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. At: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/ALRCRefJl/2009/15.html#FootnoteB6 (viewed 9 June 2015). In one, the presiding judge said the mere introduction of British law did not extinguish Aboriginal customary law. But that's just 11% of Australia's land mass. You Murray Islanders have won that court case. Importantly, the Roundtable highlighted that despite previous promises around compensation for historical dispossession, this has not yet materialized. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this site may contain names, images or voices of people who have passed away. Words speak across tongues. Tenacity, fearlessness, fearsome, tireless are some of the words that come to mind when the names Rob Riley and Eddie Mabo are mentioned. 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. 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. This independence could be realized through greater roles for Indigenous landholders through business, land management and other opportunities. "If ever a system could be called a government of laws," he said, "it is shown in the evidence before me.". My people are the Gangulu from the Dawson Valley in Central Queensland. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Today in the midst of winter there is still smoke from a campfire, framing a word spelled out on the lawn: Sovereignty. "It gave us back our pride. It is this issue of development that I will explore later in greater detail. Eddie Mabo's dream had come true; a meeting of minds to address the issue of Aboriginal land . The decision. These things range from various legal and administrative barriers that are placed on us once a native title determination has been made and includes various tax and regulatory standards placed on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the post determination phase, conflicts between individual and communal property interests and issues arising from the conversion of title. Volume 3 (146pp). 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. De Rose Hill is a landmark case because it represents a significant moment in time in the native title space. 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. Eddie Koiki Mabo died of cancer on 21 January 1991, before the case was resolved. 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. This was apartheid in Australia, not South Africa. The issue of compensation for unfinished business was another key theme of the Roundtable. I want to give two words from my people, Wiradjuri. 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. [12] Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), preamble. And he knew truth. 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. Our people know han. 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.