From 27 May 2022 visit Parliament House to experience a free exhibition marking 30 years since the Mabo decision. Explore the impact the decision had on Australia through archival photographs, film footage and works of art from the Parliament House Art Collection.
On 3 June 1992, the High Court of Australia handed down the landmark ruling on Mabo v Queensland No. 2, altering the foundation of land law in Australia.
The claim was initiated by the Meriam people of Dauer, Waier and Mer of the Murray Island Group in the Torres Strait. Edward Koiki ‘Eddie’ Mabo led the claim along with Celuia Mapo Salee, James Rice, David Passi and Sam Passi.
The ruling dismissed the legal concept of terra nullis – that Australia was a land belonging to nobody.
In response to the ruling, the Australian Parliament passed the Native Title Act on 22 December 1993. The Act established a legal pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to claim their traditional rights over lands and waters.
The decision marked a significant step forward in the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
