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Essay On The Impact Of Protest On Aboriginals Rights

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Essay On The Impact Of Protest On Aboriginals Rights
Impact of Protests on the Rights and Freedoms of Aboriginals

The treatment of Indigenous Australians by the government has been an issue of controversy since White Europeans settled in Australia. Throughout history Aboriginals have developed and hosted many protests, sometimes with the help of the White Europeans that wanted to make a difference to get back rights and freedoms of Aboriginals.

The Australian Aborigines were the first people to live on the continent Australia, being here longer than the White Australians. During that time, the Aboriginal people made a special bond with the land and their kinship to their families. After the invasion of the Europeans settlers, laws were introduced to take away the land traditionally owned. Protectionism was one of the first policies meaning that Aborigines and the European settlers were separated and ‘protected’ for their own good. This was failing and that’s when assimilation was introduced which meant …show more content…
The Mabo Decision was the outcome of the protest led by Eddie Mabo with a group of people from the Murray Islands in Torres Strait claiming that they had ownership of the islands before the white people settled. This act was very successful leading to the High Court deciding that the Murray Islanders were entitled to possession, occupation, enjoyment and use of the lands. The Mabo Decision overturned the concept of Terra Nullius (‘the land belonging to no one’) meaning the Australians recognised that the native title still
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