Let's talk... Mabo

This Sunday marks the 20th anniversary of the High Court Mabo decision, which recognised the unique rights that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to land and waters according to traditional laws and customs.

Why not take some time this National Reconciliation Week to reflect on how the Mabo decision reshaped our history and our laws, and learn a bit about the man himself.

Meet... Eddie Koiki Mabo

Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo was born on 29 June 1936, on Murray Island in the Torres Strait. He worked many jobs throughout his life, including as an assistant teacher; a deck hand on pearl lugger and tug boats; a cane cutter; and a grounds keeper. He was also an artist and a writer.

Eddie believed the land he grew up on belonged to the Torres Strait Islander people that had lived there for thousands of years. Australian law stated otherwise however, so Eddie decided to fight to change it. The case took ten years.

Eddie died five months before the High Court handed down the historic Mabo decision, which expelled the notion of terra nullius from Australia law and paved the way for the creation of lands rights legislation known as native title. Read more...

Did you know?

• Terra nullius is a Latin expression meaning ‘land belonging to no one’. In the 1971 Gove land rights case, Justice Blackburn ruled that Australia had been terra nullius before European settlement.

• The Mabo case was a legal challenge by plaintiffs Eddie Mabo, Celuia Mapo Salee, Sam Passi, Father Dave Passi and James Rice, against the State of Queensland to establish traditional ownership of the Murray Islands in the Torres Strait.

• Following the Mabo decision, Australia’s Federal Parliament passed the Native Title Act 1993 which established a legal framework for native title claims throughout Australia by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Some quick stats...

1,158,876 … the amount of land in square kilometres where there are registered determinations of native title.

15.1 ... the percentage of Australia’s land mass where there are registered determinations of native title.

139 … the total number of determinations that native title exists since the passing of the Native Title Act 1993.

443 … the total current number of claimant applications with the National Native Title Tribunal.

Watch and learn

The tele-movie Mabo will premiere on June 10 at 8:30pm on ABC1. It traces the life of Eddie from a young man through his courtship and marriage and the handing down of the historic high court decision. Mabo classroom is a valuable multimedia resource where students can learn about the significance of Eddie Mabo in shaping our national identity and modern Australian history.

Take action

• Go along to some of the great events being held all over the country to celebrate National Reconciliation Week. To find out more go to: www.reconciliation.org.au/nrw

• In Townsvile, there will be a range of activities including the Townsville Reconciliation Festival, Mabo Day Concert and 'Echoes of Mabo: Honour and Determination' the 2012 Native Title Conference.

• Watch the ABC Four Corners documentary ‘Judgement Day’ to discover more about what happened after the historic Mabo decision

Reconciliation Australia would like to thank the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander of Studies and ABC TV for their assistance in developing this factsheet. The image in the header is courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.
Reconciliation Australia is the national body promoting reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians. www.reconciliation.org.au

*Caution: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this publication may contain images of deceased people.