-
1974
Eddie Mabo finds out he does not own the land back on Murray Island where he grew up. -
1981
Eddie Mabo makes a speech about the land ownership and inheritance system on Murray Island. A lawyer at the conference suggests there should be a test case on claiming land rights through the court system -
1982
Eddie Mabo, Sam Passi, David Pass, Celuia Mapo Salee and James Rice make a legal claim for ownership of their land on Murray Island. -
1985
The Queensland Government passes an Act in an attempt to negate any claims Torres Strait Islanders have to the land. The Act declares that when the Torres Strait Islands were annexed by the Queensland Government under the Coast Island Act in 1879, land rights to the islands was transferred to the state of Queensland and not subject to other claims. -
1988
The High Court finds the Queensland Coast Islands Act contravenes section 10 of the Federal Racial Discrimination Act 1975, and is therefore invalid. Under the Constitution, federal acts of parliament take precedence over state acts of parliament. -
1992
The Land is finally given back to them but Eddie Mabo isn't there to celebrate because he died 5 months earlier from cancer at the age 56 -
1992
Prime Minister Paul Keating makes a address to a crowd of 2000 in Redfern, where he states that the blame for the plight of Indigenous Australians lies with non-aboriginal Australians -
1993
The Native Title Act is tabled in Federal Parliament in response to the Mabo ruling. After 111 hours of debate, the longest in 92 years of Senate history, the bill passes. -
1996
The High Court decision on a case brought by the Wik Peoples on Cape York Peninsula finds that statutory leases, such as pastoral leases do not completely extinguish native title rights. -
1998
In response to the Wik decision, then prime minister John Howard implements a 10 point plan through the Native Title Amendment Bill. The bill strengthened the rights of pastoral lease holders and made it harder to claim native title.