The National Apology of 2008

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Intro: 50-80 words The National Apology of 2008 is the latest addition to the key aspects of Australia’s reconciliation towards the Indigenous owners of our land. A part of this movement towards reconciliation is the recognition of Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders rights to their land. Upon arrival in Australia, Australia was deemed by the British as terra nullius, land belonging to no one. This subsequently meant that Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were never recognised as the traditional owners. Eddie Mabo has made a highly significant contribution to the rights and freedoms of Indigenous Australians as he was the forefather of a long-lasting court case in 1982 fighting for the land rights of the Torres Strait Islanders. Eddie Mabo’s introduction of the Native Title Act has provided Indigenous Australians with the opportunity to state claim to their land, legally recognising the Indigenous and the Torres Strait Islanders as the traditional owners. Body Paragraph 1: 200-300 words Eddie Mabo’s success at land rights has reshaped and rewrote Australian society and history. Mabo was born a Torres Strait Islander and a member of the Meriam people on Murray (Mer) Island, 1936. He went on to be an Indigenous community leader and human rights activist after marrying Bonita Nehow in 1959 and joining the Torres Strait Islander community, consequently becoming director of the Townsville Black Community School in 1973. Patrick Hatch, reporter for Herald Sun Newspaper 2013, reiterated Mabo’s reaction once told his land on Mer belonged to the Crown and not his family by Professor’s Noel Loos and Henry Reynolds, co-workers from James Cook University where Mabo worked as a gardener in 1974. “Everybody kn... ... middle of paper ... ...oundation: http://www.documentaryaustralia.com.au/case_studies/details/22/mabo-life-of-an-island-man Hatch, P. (2013, April 5). Eddie Mabo's epic fight for land rights changed Australian law and history. Retrieved from Herald Sun: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/fight-for-land-rights-changed-history/story-fnat7jnn-1226613120932 Way, R. N. (2013, January 19). Edward Koiki Mabo 1936-1992. Retrieved from Racism No Way: http://www.racismnoway.com.au/teaching-resources/factsheets/54.html Way, R. N. (2013, February 4). The Racism. No Way! Project. Retrieved from Racism No Way: http://www.racismnoway.com.au/site/about.html Wikipedia. (2014, March 19). Herald Sun. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herald_Sun Wikipedia. (2014, April 11). The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sydney_Morning_Herald

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