Eddie Mabo

Eddie Mabo (1936–1992) was a Meriam land-rights campaigner from Mer who challenged the legal assumption that Australia belonged to no one before British colonization. His case led the High Court of Australia to recognize native title.

Mabo v Queensland (No 2): The 1992 High Court of Australia decision that recognized native title and rejected terra nullius as a basis for Australian law. Mabo’s campaign culminated in this landmark judgment.
Mer: An island in the Torres Strait, also known as Murray Island and part of the Torres Strait Islands of Queensland. Mabo was born there, and the land claim concerned Mer.
James Cook: A British naval officer whose 1770 voyage claimed the east coast of Australia for Britain. His claim-making voyage forms part of the colonial history Mabo’s challenge confronted.
Mabo v Queensland (No 1): A 1988 High Court decision that invalidated Queensland’s attempt to extinguish the Meriam claim through its 1985 declaratory act. This earlier ruling removed a state-law obstacle before the 1992 decision on native title.
Native title in Australia: The recognition under Australian law of Indigenous peoples’ rights and interests in land and waters under traditional laws and customs. The judgment arising from Mabo’s challenge established this legal doctrine.
Meriam people: The Indigenous people of Mer and nearby islands in the eastern Torres Strait. Mabo was Meriam, and Meriam customary rights grounded the claim.
Noel Pearson: An Aboriginal Australian lawyer and land-rights advocate who founded the Cape York Land Council. Pearson later became a prominent advocate for Indigenous land rights within the legal framework Mabo helped establish.
Mabo v Queensland (No 2) trial: The Queensland Supreme Court proceedings that examined Meriam laws, customs, and connections to land before the High Court appeal. Evidence about Mer and Meriam traditions formed the factual basis for the final appeal.
Native Title Act 1993: An Australian federal law establishing procedures for recognizing and protecting native title after the Mabo decision. Parliament created the statutory framework in response to the case.
Torres Strait Islands: A group of islands between Cape York Peninsula and Papua New Guinea, home to distinct Indigenous peoples and cultures. Mabo’s home and campaign belonged to this wider island region.

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