EDDIE MABO AND THE FIGHT FOR RIGHTS REPORT Infringed Rights: Torres Strait Islander Edward Koiki (Eddie Mabo or Mabo) was a member of the Meriam people. Eddie Koiki Mabo was born on Murray Island, in the Torres Strait, on June 29, 1936. Mabo lived on Murray Island until he was 16 years old. At the age of 16 he was expelled from the island for a breach customary laws, following this he then went to live in Queensland to pursue work opportunities. 15 years later Mabo attempted to return to Murray Island to only be denied access to the island. The Natives of Murray Island have also had their rights infringed as they have lived on the island for generations before the British colonised Australia and they believe that that should be taken into …show more content…
The Meriam people claimed that the land belonged to individuals or groups of their clans. It is known that Torres Strait Islander people occupied Australia for at least 40,000 to 60,000 years before the first British colony was recognised. Subsequent the people that occupied the land likewise spoke their own languages and had their own rules and laws. A vital part of their rules and laws is a strong relationship to the land, once they couldn’t claim that the land was theirs they were outraged when it was finally legally taken away from them. In the 1960s, Mabo created a campaign to allow Indigenous people more rights. Through on going campaigning this lead to a growth in support for the rights of Indigenous people. In 1967, a referendum was held which promoted a modification in the Constitution to officially recognise Indigenous people as citizens of …show more content…
They had previously used the land for farming and agricultural purposes. During the time of the case the High Court required the Supreme Court of Queensland to determine the facts of the case but whilst the case was with the Queensland court. The Mabo case took approximately 10 years to come to a final decision in the High Court. Six of the judges decided that the Meriam people did have traditional ownership of their land. The laws that existed during the time of the Mabo case was centred on the principle of terra nullius meaning “land that belongs to no one.” This meant that indigenous people had no land rights even though they had occupied the land for thousands of years beforehand. As stated previously Mabo was outraged at the lack of regard for the people that previously occupied the