Mabo Day & Native Title: Who was Eddie Mabo & what is his legacy? - Behind the News

Описание: Mabo Day on June 3rd, celebrates the life and work of Eddie Mabo who fought to disprove terra nullius. We look at the life and legacy of Mabo.

Kaurna, Bungalong, Yolngu and hundreds of others. These are the first nations of Australia each with their own language, traditions, laws and a relationship to land that goes back thousands of years. It's a relationship that's protected by the law thanks to this guy, Eddie Koiki Mabo.

Eddie was a Meriam man, born here on the Island of Mer also known as Murray Island. It's in the Torres Strait between Queensland and Papua New Guinea. But despite his ancestors having lived there for thousands of years Mer Island was owned by the Commonwealth of Australia and had been ever since British settlers arrived. You see, when Captain Cook arrived in Australia he claimed the country was Terra Nullius meaning land belonging to no-one. Of course, that wasn't true, and Eddie knew that and he spent many years trying to prove that Terra Nullius was wrong. In the 80s he and some fellow Murray Islanders, including his wife Bonita, took their case to the highest court in Australia. And on the 3rd of June 1992 the High Court made its decision.

RICHARD MORECROFT, NEWS ANCHOR: The High Court has recognised there were people here and their descendants have rights.

Sadly Eddie didn't get to see his victory, he died just five months earlier. But the impact the Mabo decision had is still felt today. You see it didn't just affect Meriam people, it meant other Indigenous people could claim native title too.

So, what is native title? Native title recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders rights and interests in relation to land and waters. That includes things like rights to fish, hunt and practice ceremonies. Native title can't be claimed over private property or areas with public buildings like schools and hospitals. And to claim native title, people have to be able to prove that their ancestors occupied the area before European arrival and continue to practice their culture there.

Since the Mabo decision there have been thousands of native title claims. The Noongar people in Western Australia, Ngarrindjeri people in South Australia and the Aboriginal peoples of the Wimmera region of Victoria are just a few of the groups who have been granted native title. Many more are still waiting for a decision and earlier this month the Ngaliwurru and Nungali people in the Northern Territory were given $250,000,000 by the Territory government, because the court ruled their native title had been unfairly taken away when the area was developed. It's the first time the highest court in Australia has put a dollar value on the loss of land and its emotional impact on Indigenous people. And a lot of people say it's big step forward on the path towards reconciliation.

TEACHER RESOURCES
Students will learn more about Eddie Mabo and create a biography about him. History - Year 3 & 6. Civics and Citizenship - Year 4.
https://www.abc.net.au/cm/lb/11154220...

BTN STORY PAGE
https://www.abc.net.au/btn/classroom/...

RELATED BTN STORY
Mabo Day https://www.abc.net.au/btn/10530494
Native Title https://www.abc.net.au/btn/10528268

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