When was terra nullius abolished

We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website may contain images or names of people who have since passed away.

What is reconciliation? Reconciliation Australia acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website contains images or names of people who have passed away. Commemorating Mabo Day. What is the Mabo case? Why is it significant? Mabo's legacy. Indigenous attitudes to the idea of a treaty were also varied and far from unanimous in the s and 80s.

In the lead up to the Bicentennial celebrations, in September , then Prime Minister Bob Hawke said that he would like to see the Bicentenary produce some sort of understanding or compact with Aboriginal people whereby the Australian community recognised its obligations to rectify some of the injustices of the previous years.

The Prime Minister responded by calling for a treaty to be negotiated between the Aboriginal people and the Government of Australia. The use of the term "treaty" ignited much public interest, but in July , Mr Hawke said.

It's not the word that's important, its the attitudes of the peoples, attitudes of the non-Aboriginal Australians and of the Aboriginal Australians if there is a sense of reconciliation While support for a treaty was not unanimous, wide political support continued for reconciliation.

Through and , cross-party support developed for a formal process of reconciliation to be led by a council of prominent Australians, and the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation was formally established on 2 September The idea of a 'document of reconciliation' was developed as a way to deal with the sensitivities and differences of view which existed about a treaty.

Other terms which could be used instead of 'document of reconciliation' could be settlement, compact, covenant or declaration, or an Indigenous word, such as Makarrata, which has an appropriate meaning. I hope we have some kind of written understanding.

I don't like the idea of a treaty because it implies that we are two nations. We are not, we are one nation. We are all Australians before anything else, one indivisible nation. But I would certainly be in favour of a document that recognises the prior occupation of this country by the indigenous people, recognising their place as part of the Australian community and their right to preserve their distinctive culture.

Injustices and untruths play an insidious role in these statistics and until they are fully addressed no amount of band-aid solutions will work. One of the important challenges is to ensure the robustness of the Native Title system. In the decade after the Mabo decision a series of High Court decisions tested the implementation of the Native Title legislation. A group must show they existed as a society prior to the assertion of British sovereignty and demonstrate that they have continued to practice law and custom through to the present day, and that is has been substantially uninterrupted.

While Professor Godden says it is possible for groups forcibly moved off land to claim where they can demonstrate they have continued to maintain spiritual connection , she believes the test works unfairly for those Indigenous peoples most adversely affected by white settlement.