1992+Eddie+Mabo

Eddie Mabo Torres Strait Islander, Eddie Mabo, believed his people owned the land, not the Government.

In a landmark case that took 10 years of appeal in the Australian High Court, Eddie Mabo finally succeeded in having the legal statute of //Terra Nullius// over-turned in 1992. Unfortunately, this occurred five months after Eddie Mabo's death. However, the 'Mabo' decision, as it is commonly known in Australia, gives legal recognition that Indigenous land ownership existed in Australia before European settlement.

Now known as Native Title, the 'Mabo' decision re-wrote common law, which means that under Australian law, Indigenous people now have rights to land. Many people believe that this manages to destroy the fiction that Captain Cook "discovered" Australia and that it was once an empty, uncivilised or Terra Nullius land.

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What effect do you think Kevin Rudd's "Sorry" speech had on Australian identity? How do you think Australia is now perceived by those within it, and by those around the world? And, does it really matter?