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Mabo Day
Mabo Day is a commemorative day that occurs annually on 3 June. It is an official holiday in the Torres Shire, and occurs during National Reconciliation Week in Australia.Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU)licence. The date is the anniversary of the '' Mabo v Queensland (No 2)'' decision by the High Court of Australia, which recognised the pre-colonial land interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within Australia's common law. It commemorates Eddie Koiki Mabo (''c''. 29 June 1936–21 January 1992), a Torres Strait Islander man whose campaign for Indigenous land rights in Australia led to the court's decision, which overturned the legal fiction of ''terra nullius'' that had characterised Australian law with regard to land and title since the voyage of James Cook in 1770. In 2002, on the tenth anniversary of the High Court decision, Mabo's widow, Bonita Mabo Ernestine Bonita Mabo (née Neehow; – 26 November 2018), was an Australian educato ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torres Shire
The Shire of Torres is a local government area located in Far North Queensland, Australia, covering large sections of the Torres Strait Islands and the northern tip of Cape York Peninsula north of 11°S latitude. It holds two distinctions—it is the northernmost Local Government Area in Australia, and is the only one to abut an international border – it is at one point just from Papua New Guinea. It is administered from Thursday Island. In the , the Shire of Torres had a population of 3,421 people. History The Hann Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879''. On 30 October 1885, the coastal islands of Hann Division were separated to create Torres Division. With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Torres Division became Shire of Torres on 31 March 1903. Most of the islands were unincorporated until the 1970s, but Thursday Island had a town council going back to 1912. In 193 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indigenous Land Rights In Australia
In Australia, Indigenous land rights or Aboriginal land rights are the rights and interests in land of Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people; the term may also include the struggle for those rights. Connection to the land and waters is vital in Australian Aboriginal culture and to that of Torres Strait Islander people, and there has been a long battle to gain legal and moral recognition of ownership of the lands and waters occupied by the many peoples prior to colonisation of Australia starting in 1788, and the annexation of the Torres Strait Islands by the colony of Queensland in the 1870s. , Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights and interests in land are formally recognised over around 40 per cent of Australia’s land mass, and sea rights have also been asserted in various native title cases. Description and distinctions According to the Attorney-General's Department: Text was copied from this source, which is available under aAttri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australian Public Holiday
Public holidays in Australia refer to the holidays recognised in law in Australia. Although they are declared on a state and territory basis, they comprise a mixture of nationally celebrated days and holidays exclusive to the individual jurisdictions. Public holidays function as non-working days, with workers generally receiving full paid leave independently of annual leave. Those working on public holidays receive additional penalty rates of pay. Where they fall on a weekend, public holidays are generally declared '' in lieu'' for the following Monday. Statutory holidays in Australia are based on varying religious, cultural and civic observations. Christian celebrations, namely Christmas and Easter, are some of the most significant ones observed. A Labour Day is observed in each state and territory, although it is varied in date. There are two significant national days, Australia Day (26 January) and Anzac Day (25 April), which are nationwide public holidays. When a public ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Commission
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) (1990–2005) was the Australian Government body through which Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were formally involved in the processes of government affecting their lives, established under the Hawke government in 1990. A number of Indigenous programs and organisations fell under the overall umbrella of ATSIC. The agency was dissolved in 2005 in the aftermath of litigation involving its chairperson, Geoff Clark. It was the longest running Indigenous affairs department to have existed. History ATSIC was established by the Hawke government through the ''Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Act 1989'' (the ATSIC Act), which took effect on 5 March 1990. It superseded the Aboriginal Development Commission (ADC), a statutory authority created by the Fraser government in July 1980. In 1990 Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Gerry Hand proposed merging the functions of the ADC into the newly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bonita Mabo
Ernestine Bonita Mabo (née Neehow; – 26 November 2018), was an Australian educator and activist for Aboriginal Australians, Torres Strait Islanders, and Australian South Sea Islanders. She was the wife of Eddie Mabo until his death in 1992. Early life Ernestine Bonita Neehow was born in Halifax, Queensland, one of 10 children. She was an Australian South Sea Islander of Ni-Vanuatu descent whose ancestors were "Blackbirding, blackbirded" to work in the sugar cane industry in Queensland. Her grandfather was blackbirded from Tanna Island in what is now Vanuatu. Career In 1973, Eddie and Bonita Mabo established the Black Community School in Townsville, where children could learn their own culture rather than white culture. Bonita worked in the school as a teacher's aide and oversaw day-to-day operations. Mabo was an Indigenous rights activist for Aboriginal Australians, Torres Strait Islanders, and Australian South Sea Islanders. Honours Mabo was appointed an Officer of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Voyage Of James Cook In 1770
The first voyage of James Cook was a combined Royal Navy and Royal Society expedition to the south Pacific Ocean aboard HMS ''Endeavour'', from 1768 to 1771. The aims were to observe the 1769 transit of Venus from Tahiti and to seek evidence of the postulated '' Terra Australis Incognita'' or "undiscovered southern land". It was the first of three voyages of which James Cook was the commander. The voyage was commissioned by King George III and commanded by Lieutenant Cook, a junior naval officer with good skills in cartography and mathematics. Departing from Plymouth Dockyard in August 1768, the expedition crossed the Atlantic, rounded Cape Horn and reached Tahiti in April 1769, before the expected transit on 3 June. After the observation, Cook stopped at the nearby islands of Huahine, Borabora and Raiatea to claim them for Great Britain before sailing into the largely uncharted ocean to the south and west. In October, the expedition reached New Zealand; Cook was only th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terra Nullius
''Terra nullius'' (, plural ''terrae nullius'') is a Latin expression meaning " nobody's land". Since the nineteenth century it has occasionally been used in international law as a principle to justify claims that territory may be acquired by a state's occupation of it. There are currently three territories sometimes claimed to be ''terra nullius'': Bir Tawil (a strip of land between Egypt and the Sudan), four pockets of land near the Danube due to the Croatia–Serbia border dispute, and parts of Antarctica, principally Marie Byrd Land. Doctrine In international law, ''terra nullius'' is territory which belongs to no state. Sovereignty over territory which is ''terra nullius'' can be acquired by any state by occupation. According to Oppenheim: "The only territory which can be the object of occupation is that which does not already belong to another state, whether it is uninhabited, or inhabited by persons whose community is not considered to be a state; for i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Legal Fiction
A legal fiction is a construct used in the law where a thing is taken to be true, which is not in fact true, in order to achieve an outcome. Legal fictions can be employed by the courts or found in legislation. Legal fictions are different from Presumption, legal presumptions which assume a certain state of facts until the opposite is proved, such as the presumption of legitimacy. The term ''legal fiction'' is sometimes used in a pejorative way. Jeremy Bentham was a famous historical critic of legal fictions. Proponents of legal fictions, particularly of their use historically, identify legal fictions as "scaffolding around a building under construction". Common law examples Adoption Adoption, Child adoption is a legal fiction in that the adoptive parents become the legal parents, notwithstanding the lack of a biological relationship. Once an order or judgment of adoption is entered, the biological parents become legal strangers to the child, legally no longer related nor with a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torres Strait Islanders
Torres Strait Islanders ( ) are the Indigenous Melanesians, Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal peoples of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped with them as Indigenous Australians. Today, many more Torres Strait Islander people live in mainland Australia than on the Islands. Five distinct peoples exist within the broader designation of Torres Strait Islander people, based partly on geographical and cultural divisions. Kalaw Lagaw Ya and Meriam Mir comprise the two main Indigenous language groups; Torres Strait Creole is also widely spoken as a language of trade and commerce. The core of Island culture is Indigenous people of New Guinea, Papuan, and the people are traditionally a seafaring nation. The Torres Islanders exhibit a strong artistic culture, particularly in sculpture, printmaking, and mask-making. Demographics Of the 133 islands ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Reconciliation Week
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is intended to celebrate Indigenous history and culture in Australia and foster reconciliation discussion and activities. It started as the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation in 1993, developing into National Reconciliation Week in 1996. It is held from 27 May to 3 June each year. These dates mark the anniversary of the 1967 referendum (27 May) and the date in 1992 that the Mabo decision was made in the High Court of Australia (3 June, Mabo Day). History and background In 1991, the Australian Parliament unanimously created the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (CAR) with funding until 2001. In 1993, major religious groups in Australia established the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation. In 1996, the CAR expanded this into the first National Reconciliation Week. In 2000, an estimated 250,000 people walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and in Brisbane, the People’s Walk for Reconciliation attracted an estimated 70,000 people. In 20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eddie Koiki Mabo
Edward Koiki Mabo ( ; Sambo) (29 June 1936 – 21 January 1992) was an Indigenous Australian man from the Torres Strait Islands known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights in Australia, in particular the landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that recognised that indigenous rights to land had continued after the British Crown acquired sovereignty and that the international law doctrine of terra nullius was not applicable to Australian domestic law. High court judges considering the case '' Mabo v Queensland (No 2)'' found in favour of Mabo, which led to the '' Native Title Act 1993'' and established native title in Australia, officially recognising the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. Early life and Background Eddie Mabo was born Edward Koiki Sambo on 29 June 1936 in the village of Las located on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait. His parents were Robert Zesou Sambo and Poipe Mabo, but Eddie was adopted by hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common Law
Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on precedent—judicial rulings made in previous similar cases. The presiding judge determines which precedents to apply in deciding each new case. Common law is deeply rooted in Precedent, ''stare decisis'' ("to stand by things decided"), where courts follow precedents established by previous decisions. When a similar case has been resolved, courts typically align their reasoning with the precedent set in that decision. However, in a "case of first impression" with no precedent or clear legislative guidance, judges are empowered to resolve the issue and establish new precedent. The common law, so named because it was common to all the king's courts across England, originated in the practices of the courts of the English kings in the centuries fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
