Mabo Day
Mabo Day
Mabo Day is commemorated on the 3rd of June every year to honour the activism of Eddie Koiki Mabo, a Mer Island man. Eddie Mabo was an activist for the 1967 referendum, fighting against the false and harmful legal belief that Australia and the Torres Strait Islands were not owned by Indigenous peoples.
The Mabo and others v Queensland case, commonly referred to as the Mabo case, began in May 1982 when Eddie Mabo and four other Meriam people of the Murray (Mer) Island started their action against the high court of Australia. Their intention was to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with the legal framework that acknowledges the ownership of sacred land. Removing the legal fabrication of ‘terra nullius‘, meaning ‘land belonging to no-one’, was at the core of this case.
This case endured over 10 years until a final decision was reached on the 3rd of June 1992, tragically only 5 months after Eddie Mabo had passed away. The momentous decision stated that ‘native title’ did exist, ‘terra nullius‘ should not have been applied to Australia, and it was up to the Mer people to determine who owned the land.
Eddie Mabo and the many other people who stood with him forever changed the state of Indigenous legal rights. It provided public understanding of the unique connection between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their land. This is a day to celebrate the incredible change that Eddie Mabo created in his life and to ensure the continued protection of the Native Title Act (1993).
Please visit their website for more information about this important part of history and ways that you can get involved. Don’t forget to keep an eye on Reconciliation Australia’s social media for any updates they share regarding Mabo Day 2023!
Check them out and get involved!
VISIT THEIR WEBSITEOld Parliament House, King George Terrace
Parkes
ACT
Ph. 02 6153 4400
