Mabo

On 3 June 1992, the High Court handed down its judgment in the Mabo case.

Eddie Koiki Mabo (1936–1992) was a Meriam man from the island of Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait. His name has become synonymous with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land rights because he was a key plantiff in the Mabo case.

The High Court's decision challenged the incorrect assumption that Australia was terra nullius (land belonging to no one) in 1788 when Europeans arrived in Australia. The case paved the way for native title claims through the Native Title Act 1993.

Eddie Mabo spent much of his life engaged in political activism and was passionate about Indigenous land rights and ending discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

In this collection we see excerpts of documentaries about Eddie Mabo’s life and legacy, along with photographs and songs paying tribute to Mabo's contribution to Australian history.

You can stream NFSA Restores: Mabo – Life of an Island Man (1997, 83 minutes) on NFSA Player.

WARNING: this collection contains names, images or voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.