eddie mabo speech transcriptjeff lewis live guest today

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. - Behind the News Behind the News 133K subscribers Subscribe 483 106K views 3 years ago Mabo Day on June 3rd, celebrates. From 1973-1983 he established and became director of the Black Community School in Townsville. It was awarded Best Documentary at the Australian Film Institute Awards and the Sydney Film Festival.It also received the Script Writing Award at the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards. More information. There was something of destiny in the air. Milosz wrote into the horror of the 20th century as he saw war all around him. But 20 years after the judgement, there's still a debate among constitutionalists, lawyers and politicians about the legacy of Mabo. However, in the lead-up to these hearings, the Parliament of Queensland passed the Queensland Coast Islands Declaratory Act 1985, which asserted that, upon being annexed by the Queensland Government in 1879, 'the islands were vested in the Crown freed from all other rights, interests and claims'. I was there as a young associate working for a judge, and saw the jubilation and relief of . In 1981, Eddie Mabo made a speech at James Cook University in Queensland, where he explained his people's beliefs about the ownership and inheritance of land on Mer. Aboriginal Australians are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their landmark victory over land rights. My predecessor Dr Tom Calma explained the impact of never implementing a social justice package in 2008: this abyss is one of the underlying reasons why the native title system is under the strain it is under today[5]. Up to April 2010, 84 native title cases had been dealt with by the courts, and 854,000 sq km (330,000 sq miles) is now covered by native title determinations. On 3 June 1992, six of the seven High Court judges upheld the claim and ruled that the lands of . Reynolds writes: However, most importantly of all, we are now faced with the challenge of how to make the most of our rights to land and native title once we have them, for our prosperity and sustainability. In acknowledging the traditional rights of the Meriam people to their land, the court also held that native title existed for all Indigenous people. Uncle Edward 'Koiki' Mabo was born in 1936, in Las on the island of Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait to 'Robert' Zesou Sambo and 'Annie' Poipe, ne Mabo. Eddie Koiki Sambo was born on June 29, 1936 on the Torres Strait island of Mer, also known as Murray Island. He married Bonita, his teenage sweetheart and with whom he had 10 children in a loving partnership that lasted 30 years. For 50 years this embassy has stood as a reminder that we are still here. He also co-operated with members of the Communist Party, the only white political party to support Aboriginal campaigns at the time. Eddie Koiki Mabo was an advocate of the 1967 Referendum, fighting for equal rights including education. 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. In 1959, he moved to mainland Queensland, working on pearling vessels and as a labourer. The Mabo decision was handed down on June 3, 1992 in the High Court's grand courtroom in Canberra. 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. With support from legal experts, Mabo, along with fellow plaintiffs and Murray Islanders Reverend David Passi, Celuia Mapoo Salee, Sam Passi and James Rice, brought a case against the Queensland Government in the High Court. Australian law for two centuries hid the truth behind words. It was through his association with JCU humanities and education staff, Professor Henry Reynolds and Associate Professor Noel Loos, that Eddie became interested in who owned the land on which his people lived, and in Native Title. He was another victim of Terra Nullius, like so many of his fellow indigenous people had been before him. 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. In conversations with Commissioner Wilson and others, we are in the midst of developing what the next step in this process should look like and we will continue to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples such as yourselves in order to do this. At: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/ALRCRefJl/2009/15.html#FootnoteB6 (viewed 9 June 2015). Mabo - as in Eddie Mabo, who famously fought a winning fight against the legal doctrine of terra nullius to enshrine Aboriginal land rights in law - is referenced on two occasions. And he was right. 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]. Three bound volumes regarding the determination of a reference from the High Court of Australia of the factual issues raised in the action by Eddie Mabo and others - prepared by Justice Moynihan. Others, while acknowledging the shortcomings of Mabo's long-term legacy, still regard it as a watershed moment in Australian political, cultural and economic life. Mabo Day occurs annually in Australia on 3rd June. In Torres Strait Islands called the Mabo case, for Eddie Mabo, the first-named plaintiff) brought by several individuals that was won in the High Court of Australia in 1992; subsequent cases were also settled in favour of other groups of islanders. This needs to change. The practical effects of Mabo have, indeed, been mixed, judging by figures from the Koori Mail, a national indigenous-owned newspaper. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter', Why half of India's urban women stay at home. In August 1981 Mabo attended a conference on land rights at James Cook University. Born in 1936, he grew up in the village of Las on the north bend of Mer Island. This Declaration on the Right to Development was adopted by the General Assembly in 1986. As Noel Pearson has recently said in relation to this issue: Were moving from a land rights claim phase to a land rights use phase where people are grappling with how we make our land contribute to our development.[3]. HOST: Today is Mabo Day. Eddie Mabo had challenged the very ideological establishment of Australia and the first Australians. Eddie Koiki Mabo (c. 29 June 1936 - 21 January 1992 [1]) was an Australian man from the Torres Strait Islands known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights and for his role in a landmark decision of the High Court of Australia which overturned the legal doctrine of terra nullius ("land belonging to nobody") which characterised A world turning. That is, after 20 years of operation, we finally saw the first time compensation had been awarded for the extinguishment of native title rights and interests under the Native Title Act. Drama Biopic Inspiring. He was a Meriam man and grew up on Mer, part of the Murray Island Group in the Torres Strait. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this resource and resource page may contain the image, name or voice of deceased persons. In 1981, Eddie Mabo made a speech at James Cook University in Queensland, where he explained his people's beliefs about the ownership and inheritance of land on Mer. However, contemporary Indigenous governance needs recognises that we must now adjust our customary ways of governing to meet the expectations and regulations of non-indigenous laws and institutions. Importantly, development is also a process through which other human rights can be realized and our wellbeing alongside all other populations is maximised. This achievement certainly encourages me. About 800 kilometers north of Cairns sits the small remote community of Mer (Murray) Island in the crystal blue waters of 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. 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. Barrister Ron Castan, Eddie Mabo and barrister Bryan Keon-Cohen at . SPEECH - THURSDAY, 3 JUNE . This was not empty land. Husband, father, grandfather, mate, advocate, achiever, Principal and mentor. Transcript of proceedings.in the High Court of Australia between Eddie Mabo, David Passi, James Rice.and the State of Queensland Proceedings for 28-31 May 1991, 3 June 1992, and 8 December 1992. eddie began his Journey on changing the rights by Making a speech at a land rights conference at the James Cook University his speech explained the traditional land owners and the inheritance system that . Our people know han. The Court also recognised that all Indigenous people in Australia have rights to their land. Make an Impact. We will adapt, we will take advantage of these opportunities and we will leave a great legacy. 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. "Koiki was ambitious for himself and for his people.". He knew about hope and he knew about justice. Watch all your favourite ABC programs on ABC iview. The words are carefully chosen to sit alongside each other withjust the right length and the right tone, each one setting up the other and chosen for both meaning and music. Until Mabo, we had been a forgotten people, even though we knew that we were in the right.". As the Broome Roundtable highlighted, this remains one of the key unresolved issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their quest for ongoing economic development. 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. From 1973-1983 he established and became director of the Black Community School in Townsville. It goes on to mention the yet unfulfilled nature of redress through a social justice package that I alluded to earlier: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been progressively dispossessed of their lands. The issue of compensation for unfinished business was another key theme of the Roundtable. I have previously spoken at length about the importance of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which contains 46 articles on the rights that Indigenous peoples all around the world hold. 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. I like words. At: http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-1-human-development-index-and-its-components#a (viewed 9 June 2015). Later in 1992, Mabo was posthumously awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal. So, in many ways, the victory has been more symbolic than practical. Several cabinet papers from the time of the Mabo decision reflect on its likely ramifications, including: The National Archives of Australia acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, sea and community. Speech to the Native Title Conference celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Mabo High Court decision 6 June 2012. . In 2014, Australia ranked second after Norway, in the United Nations Human Development Index,[9] a position that would seem to indicate that we all enjoy a quality of life superior to most others in the world. It is clear that the current system has not delivered what had initially been intended to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Transcript ID: 3849. We need to work alongside government to equip ourselves with the knowledge and skills to turn the economic and commercial aspirations into reality. [6] UN Declaration on the Right to Development, Article 1, para 1. We go on, he said, ever, ever, ever on. It is a feeling. Eddie Mabo's legal pursuit of these issues resulted in one of the most significant legal cases in Australian history, in that it completely overturned the idea of terra nullius (land belonging to no-one) and challenged traditionally held beliefs about how Australia came into being, and about ownership of land. The courts had previously found that the Nguraritja had non-exclusive native title over certain parcels of land, but not over those where native title had already been extinguished. active, free and meaningful participation in development; self-determination and full sovereignty over natural wealth and resources. Mabo said was that it is my fathers & grandfather's, grandmother's land, I am related to it, it is my identity. Eddie Mabo knew about love too. "I think that like many others, I was trying to deal with something that was new, that was undefined," Kennett told The Age newspaper. It was on 3 June 1992 that the Australian High Court overturned more than 200 years of white domination of land ownership. In 1994 the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) was established in response to Read More Love, suffering, hope, justice and truth Eddie Mabo knew about love too. But the . Han is Korean and it is more than a word. It is this issue of development that I will explore later in greater detail. Elders saythe wateris now a battleground. The Declaration incorporates four fundamental human rights principles that can be categorised as: However, the UN Declaration on the Right to Development has been a lesser-known cousin to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In 1974, he became involved in a discussion with two academics. 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. 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. We are still trying to find the words to equal the full measure of Eddie Mabo's devotion. [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). Rachel Perkins, director of the new film, says Mabo's is "an iconic story in the tradition of great Australian tales, how a man, his wife and his mates profoundly changed the nation". 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. Choose from the list of topics on the left and then choose 'Click to Play'. 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. In fact, the court went to considerable lengths to establish that the impact of its judgment will be minimal on non-Aboriginal Australians. We cross rivers and we are changed like the water itself. 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. Eternal. Document: 00003849.pdf 1 Page(s) Speech at the Gurindji Land Ceremony. "It gave us back our pride. The National Archives holds a diverse array of records relating to the Mabo case. There will be many words between now and then. This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty., "This is the torment of our powerlessness.". "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. 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. Uncle Eddie 'Koiki' Mabo. They then said to tell you they are aware of your continued fight for your culture and your country and salute you for your ongoing struggle. (No. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.. But without warriors such as Eddie, David and James, Rob and countless others, we would not be in the position regarding Indigenous land tenure that we are in today.

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