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Eddie Mabo

            Eddie Mabo was a fighter for the land rights of Aboriginals. During the 70's, the Queensland Government denied the Meriam Islanders the use of their land. Eddies Mabo led his people into court challenging the Queensland Government in 1982. He stated that his people had inhabited the Island long before the European arrival.
             Eddie Mabo challenged the right of the Queensland Government to take away his peoples land. He lost his case in the Queensland Supreme Court, so he turned to the High Court of Australia. The High Court of Australia handed down its historic decision on the 3rd of June 1992. This was a tremendous victory for Eddie Mabo and his community.
             The Mabo decision is important to all Australians as it states that Indigenous Australians were the true owners of Australia. It also erased the fictitious "Terra Nullius". Many people thought that they will lose their land as a result of the trial but this is false. Aboriginals do not have the right to claim land that has already been purchased. Many Australians didn't realise this and many myths began to surface in society. People believed that they could lose their homes and that Aboriginals had the ability to purchase land for free. They also believed that natural resources might be claimed and a few believed that they didn't have the right to any land.
             The Mabo decision triggered the creation of the Native Title Bill. The bill set straight the details of the land ownership. The main feature of the law was to recognise land rights for people who own freehold property and also people with pastoral leases. For Aboriginals wanting to claim land under the act, have to prove that they have been living on the land continuously since 1788.
             The work done by Eddie Mabo and his supporters reunited many Aboriginals with their traditional land. He will forever be remembered and praised by many Australians. His work was a huge leap forward in Aboriginal conditions and hopefully; there will be more like him to help the Aboriginal community.


Essays Related to Eddie Mabo

1. Aboriginal Spirituality

The most common case and the case that rewrote the Australian common law was Mabo. The Meriam people led by Eddie Mabo were on a crusade to overturn the doctrine Terra Nullius. The Mabo case went to the High Court and the decision was a boost in the struggle for land ownership for the indigenous. ... In December 1993 the Native Title Act was passed which put into law what the Mabo decision stated and made Native Title possible. ... Wik and Mabo are only two of the many cases regarding land ownership for aboriginal people. ...

  • Word Count: 1002
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Changes to the rights and freedoms of aboriginals 1900-today

Some of the main issues being the stolen generation, the equality of Aboriginals among white Australians, the 1967 Referendum, the Day of Mourning, assimilation, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy and the Eddie Mabo case. ... Those including the Eddie Mabo case, and Aboriginal deaths in custody and the Aboriginal tent embassy. In 1982 Eddie mabo started a case to seek recognition of their traditional ownership of Mer island. ...

  • Word Count: 884
  • Approx Pages: 4

3. Aboriginal Australia

The Mabo case (1992) was brought about by Eddie Mabo and a group of Torres Strait Islanders who took the State of Queensland to court. ... There were in fact two decisions handed down in the Mabo case. ... Twelve months after the Mabo judgement the Native Title Act (1993) was passed. ... Cases such as Mabo and Wik have set Australia in a new direction. It's as if Australia started off on the wrong path in 1788 and Mabo set a new direction to nationhood in 1992. ...

  • Word Count: 1393
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. The Changing Face Of Social Movements In Australia: Activism

Eddie Koiki Mabo, a Torres Strait Islander, is one of the most infamous crusaders for land rights. ... Justice Moynihan's decision was that although Eddie Mabo was not the rightful heir to the land, native title did exist and that it was up to " the Aboriginal or Islander people to determine who owned what land" (Caldicott, 2002). ...

  • Word Count: 1530
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Overview of Aboriginal and European Cultures

In 1992, Eddie Koiki Mabo won an eleven-year court case concerning the ownership of the Murray Islands of the Torres Strait. Mabo convinced the High Court that his people had at no time relinquished title and ownership of that land and as such their ownership should be fully restored. Mabo was the first Aboriginal man to win a court case concerning land rights issues. ...

  • Word Count: 1408
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Australian Aboriginal Spirituality.

Aboriginal Spirituality. *The Nature of Aboriginal Spirituality: _ an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is a person: _ of Aboriginal descent _ who identifies self as an Aboriginal _ accepted by the Indigenous community by which he/she lives _ physical appearance and lifestyle are irrelevant in this definition _ pre-European arrival: pop. 650,000 (600 groups) _ current pop.: 250,000 _ groups: _ traditional _ urban (just under half of present population) _ there are similarities in the beliefs of different tribes _ spiritual dimension of the land _ present life is continuous wit...

  • Word Count: 2422
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Grade Level: High School

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