Eddie Koiki Mabo and fellow Meriam claimants began High Court proceedings asserting traditional ownership of their island lands. Their action challenged the colonial legal foundations used to deny...
The High Court invalidated Queensland legislation intended to extinguish rights in the Torres Strait islands. The decision allowed the Meriam plaintiffs' land claim to continue. Antidiscrimination law...
The High Court recognized the Meriam people's native title to Mer in the Torres Strait. The judgment rejected the legal treatment of Australia as land without prior owners and opened a wider route...
The High Court ruled that the pastoral leases at issue did not necessarily extinguish native title. Indigenous and pastoral rights could coexist, with lease rights prevailing where inconsistent. The...
