Eddie Koiki Mabo

Meriam claimants begin the Mabo land case

📅 20 May 1982

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...

Mabo No. 1 blocks Queensland's attempt to extinguish islanders' claims

📅 8 December 1988

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 Mabo judgment recognizes native title and rejects terra nullius

📅 3 June 1992

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...