Our landsings gently a song of sadness. He was another victim of Terra Nullius, like so many of his fellow indigenous people had been before him. 23 Nov 1990 - 21 Oct 1994 Library at the University College of Townsville, Queensland. He had refused to surrender his interests, or those of his people, to the domination of others. To seek justice we had to speak the words of British law. Mabo was a Torres Strait islander from Mer (Murray Island), off Australia's north-east coast. I like how the words create a rhythm. Eddie Mabo was a man of courage and principle who fought for the inherent rights of the Meriam people, and ultimately for the rights of all Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal peoples. 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]. I hope that youll share with me the need to move this conversation forward, in order to best realise our rights under native title and the benefits that should follow from that. This was our land. There was something of destiny in the air. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this resource and resource page may contain the image, name or voice of deceased persons. The truth: This was his land. . 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. In some ways our systems of governance is a defining feature of the oldest living culture on this planet. 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. 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. 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). Here we are 30 years later, still on that journey. But that's just 11% of Australia's land mass. I was no lawyerbut I knew I sensed this was different. The issue of compensation for unfinished business was another key theme of the Roundtable. I walked into the news meeting at the ABC with words. 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. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. These often hamper the development and economic aspirations of the communities involved right from the start. 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. 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. In 1959, he moved to mainland Queensland, working on pearling vessels and as a labourer. Eddie Koiki Mabo: A Meriam man, husband to Bonita Mabo and father to 10 children. 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]. Concocted by the early settlers, it was used, systematically, cynically and effectively to deprive the indigenous people of their own land. 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 was a staff member at JCU, working as a groundsman from 1967 to 1971. Eddie Mabo knew about love too. One of the people who attended the conference, a lawyer, suggested they should make a case to claim land rights through the court system. In the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Governments have committed themselves to the economic development of our communities. 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. But the . It felt in this case that the time had come. A lawyer heard the speech and asked Eddie if he would like to challenge the Australian Government in the court system, to decide who the true owner of the land on Mer was, his . and in 2008 James Cook University named its Townsville campus library the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library. The Murray Islands Mabo v Queensland (No 2) (commonly known as the Mabo case or simply Mabo) is a landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that recognised the existence of Native Title in 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. People gathered this week in Townsville, Queensland, to remember a seminal moment in the nation's history, and the efforts of one man to bring it about. He's recorded as saying: "No way, it's not theirs, it's ours." But he was wrong. 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. The fall of the golden house of is but not the end. The great polish poetCzeslawMilosz said perhaps all memory is the memory of wounds. To strengthen our democracy as Eddie Mabo strengthened our law. [1] It was brought by Eddie Mabo against the State of Queensland and decided on 3 June 1992. Their hard fought battle against the Queensland government finally consigned the lie of terra nullius to the historical dustbin and recognised the unique rights that we hold as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to our traditional land and waters. 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. 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. Keating begins by discussing the moral and legal implications of the decision. During this time he enrolled as a student and studied teaching at the College of Advanced Education, which later amalgamated with JCU. In 1992 the High Court handed down its historic ruling. Mabo and others: products or agents of progress? Husband, father, grandfather, mate, advocate, achiever, Principal and mentor. Watch all your favourite ABC programs on ABC iview. I want to give two words from my people, Wiradjuri. 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. "The High Court, which is not elected by anybody, not accountable to anybody, had presumed to move into the legislative area to make a whole new law," he said. [10] UN Development Programme, Human Development Index, UN Human Development Report, p237. Mabo Day & Native Title: Who was Eddie Mabo & what is his legacy? 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." Words speak across tongues. 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. About 800 kilometers north of Cairns sits the small remote community of Mer (Murray) Island in the crystal blue waters of the Torres Strait. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? I'd also like to thank AIATSIS for the invitation to speak today and in doing that can I congratulate you Russell on receiving your recent Member of the Order of Australia award. A case was made, and took 10 years to reach a decision. 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. This landmark decision led to the Australian Government introducing native title . Mabo Day occurs annually in Australia on 3rd June. Only land such as vacant crown land, national parks and some leased land, can be subject to claims by the Aboriginal owners. JCU websites use cookies to enhance user experience, analyse site usage, and assist with outreach and enrolment. 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. He married Bonita, his teenage sweetheart and with whom he had 10 children in a loving partnership that lasted 30 years. 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. And these were the costs borne by the whole family. This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty., "This is the torment of our powerlessness.". Governance has always been at the core of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and our community life. Other cases persisted. 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. Birthdays, anniversaries, sports events and special schools days were missed. Speech to the Native Title Conference celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Mabo High Court decision 6 June 2012. . Two generations talk about the impact of the 1967 Referendum and the 1992 Mabo Decision . They claimed that Murray Island (Mer) and surrounding islands and reefs had been continuously inhabited and exclusively possessed by the Meriam people . This Declaration on the Right to Development was adopted by the General Assembly in 1986. Bonita 'Netta' Mabo: Eddie's wife and is a resourceful, supportive and loving woman. . We need to work alongside government to equip ourselves with the knowledge and skills to turn the economic and commercial aspirations into reality. Eddie Koiki Sambo was born on June 29, 1936 on the Torres Strait island of Mer, also known as Murray Island. - Behind the News Behind the News 133K subscribers Subscribe 483 106K views 3 years ago Mabo Day on June 3rd, celebrates. Nor did the judges intend that it should. 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. The issue of compensation goes to the core of the initial intent of addressing the historical dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from their lands and waters. We acknowledge Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islander People as the first inhabitants of the nation, and acknowledge Traditional Custodians of the Australian lands where our staff and students live, learn and work. He was a Meriam man and grew up on Mer, part of the Murray Island Group in the Torres Strait. Vincent Lingiari and men and women of the Gurindji people. The theme of this years conference is Leadership, Legacy and Opportunity. That nearly a third of our land mass is Indigenous owned is testament to this. 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. The Court also recognised that all Indigenous people in Australia have rights to their land. 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.