That was Eddie Mabos gift. [1] Cast [ edit] Jimi Bani as Eddie Mabo Gedor Zaro as Young Eddie Deborah Mailman as Bonita Mabo (ne Neehow) The golden house of is collapses and the world of becoming ascended.". Eddie Koiki Mabo at Las, Murray Island, 1989 On 3 June 1992 the High Court of Australia recognised that a group of Torres Strait Islanders, led by Eddie Mabo, held ownership of Mer (Murray Island). Reynolds struck up a friendship with Eddie Mabo, who was then a groundsman and gardener at James Cook University. (2012 lecture transcript), 2011 Presentation by Mr Mick Gooda, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner. 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. 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. Australia owes you a great debt. "If Koiki Mabo were alive today he would be an angry man," says Malezer. 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. "If ever a system could be called a government of laws," he said, "it is shown in the evidence before me.". This will always be our land. When democracy is teetering and autocracy is rising. Here we are 30 years later, still on that journey. 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]. 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. 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. But we know that these scales do not capture the social disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Well, Australia now stands at a moment of history. 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 The judge's four hundred page report presented Mabo and his barristers with a bombshell which threatened to sink their case. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. [1] It was brought by Eddie Mabo against the State of Queensland and decided on 3 June 1992. HOST: Today is Mabo Day. 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 . 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. [7] OHCHR Website, Essays in Commemoration of 25 years of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development. "Koiki was ambitious for himself and for his people." 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. 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. 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. Governance has always been at the core of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and our community life. Love, kindness, forgiveness; always love. But it was a bittersweet moment for the indigenous population. The man who had engineered the historic change of law, never lived to witness it himself. He petitioned, campaigned, cajoled and questioned Terra Nullius for 18 years. Justice Blackburn ruled Australia was indeed a "settled colony", that this was"desert and uncultivated". He was right. 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 . This is yet another reason why a development approach is so urgently needed. 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. 23 Nov 1990 - 21 Oct 1994 Library at the University College of Townsville, Queensland. Older articles are being reviewed with a view to bringing them into line with contemporary values but the original text will remain available for historical context. Without this foundation, there would be no opportunity for us to access these rights through this unique form of land tenure. Aunty Clara Ogleby, I begin by acknowledging and paying my respects to the Kuku Yalanji people, Traditional Owners of the place upon which we sit and talk today. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this resource and resource page may contain the image, name or voice of deceased persons. We will adapt, we will take advantage of these opportunities and we will leave a great legacy. He knew about hope and he knew about justice. So, in many ways, the victory has been more symbolic than practical. On 3 June 1992, the High Court of Australia ruled in favour of limited native title. The lack of planning and support for native titleholders to economically develop their land was identified as one of the major failings of the native title system. On Monday, he laid a wreath on Mr Mabo's grave on Mer Island. These adjustments are key if we are to translate our inherent legal rights under native title into sustainable opportunities for our people. 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. In 1981, Eddie Mabo delivered a speech at James Cook University in Queensland, where he challenged the widely accepted belief of ownership and inheritance of land on Murray Island. Drama Biopic Inspiring. In acknowledging the traditional rights of the Meriam people to their land, the court also held that native title existed for all Indigenous people. While he believed the Murray Island belonged to the Torres Strait Islander people, Australian law stated that the Government owned the land. Ten years later, he conceded his fears were unfounded. In fact, the court went to considerable lengths to establish that the impact of its judgment will be minimal on non-Aboriginal Australians. British law was the law of the colony and usurped and superseded Aboriginal law. The 50-minute recording shows Koiki Mabo talking about the history of the Torres Strait Islander community, both in the Torres Strait and on the Australian mainland, and the long term impact on his culture of the coming of Europeans, from the first missionaries to current government administrators. Mabo's credibility as the primary witness for the case was savaged . And he was right. Another key challenge that came out of the roundtable was the need to improve the capacity of our mobs to have the necessary advocacy; governance and risk management skills to successful engage in business and manage our estates in order to secure the best possible outcomes for our communities. De Rose Hill is a landmark case because it represents a significant moment in time in the native title space. Les Malezer, chairman of the Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action, is critical of the native title system for its failure to deliver for indigenous people. 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 was a Meriam man and grew up on Mer, part of the Murray Island Group in the Torres Strait. 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. By continuing to use this site, you are giving us consent to do this. To Eddie Koiki Mabo and chief justice Sir Gerard Brennan. Topics are usually less than 2 minutes long. Eddie Mabo's heritage and culture were major influencers in his rise to prominence. Bonita 'Netta' Mabo: Eddie's wife and is a resourceful, supportive and loving woman. [2] Australian Human Rights Commission, Paper on Indigenous Leaders Roundtable, Property Rights, p4. AAP. Yindyamarra winanghanha. 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. 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. I want to give two words from my people, Wiradjuri. 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. Eddie Mabo was heartbroken and never forgave government authorities. Legacy of Eddie Mabo. [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). Of law. In 1994 the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) was established in response to Read More [12] Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), preamble. Meriam history and culture were crucial to the success of the Mabo case. 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. Promoting Indigenous peoples right to development. This is our land. 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.". (2014 lecture transcript), 2013 Presentation by Dr Bryan Keon-Cohen QC. 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 . Winanghanha is to return to knowing: to know what we have always known. OM95-26 Mabo Cutting Books 1990-1994 - (2 vols.) He is hardworking and determined, but at the cost of his family life. You can find it still, somewhere buried in the archives of ABC News. Watch all your favourite ABC programs on ABC iview. 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 rights he won in the High Court have been eroded away by government, courts and socio-economic pressure.". 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. 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. That nearly a third of our land mass is Indigenous owned is testament to this. The truth: This was his land. This push for economic independence has sought to move away from models of government dependency and have been premised largely on the use of our land as the basis to achieve this. At 31, this affrontery became his epiphany. 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 . 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. There was scepticism, even cynicism, but I was able to report the story. Transcript notes - MABO, Eddie, RICE, James v State of Queensland and Commonwealth of Australia, ITM1641344 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. This landmark decision led to the Australian Government introducing native title . Eddie Mabo was a great hero to the Australian people. 3. Business development support and succession planning. The nation remained diminished.
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