HLSZ120 Indigenous Health and Culture Assignment 2022

INDIGENOUS HEALTH
AND CULTURE

Indigenous Health and Culture 1
HLSC120/HLSZ120 Indigenous Health and Culture - Assignment 2
Geeta Devi
Describe the obstacles and challenges faced by Mabo and other indigenous people as
‘their activism or campaign escalated.
Mabo, a person from Murray Islands in Torres Strait who started doing various
laboring jobs in 1957 comprising laying railways, cutting cane and only type of work
available to Torres Strait Islanders in the 1950s. But later Mabo started being a gardener at
James Cook University at Townsville in Queensland 1974. Townsville is a place where he
thought of the greatest prejudice where persons had ever been exposed to ‘Terra Nullius’. It is
land concerning to no-one when he got himself intricate in a conversation with 2 researchers
(Mabo, 2020).
Mabo explained his dream of ending his days on Murray Islet, which is on the
inherited land. This land had been handed down by his family for fifteen generations.
Mabo faced the first challenge as he was not refined at all. At the age of 31, he went
to attain an education and become avantgarde for black rights and functioned with the
communal to ensure Aboriginal children had their schools (Mabo, 2020).
Mabo discovered the finest system to attain people’s assistance to collaborate with the
persons of the communist party. It is the only white political party to assist Aboriginal's
campaigns at the time. Mabo won that challenge and proved to become a leader. Mabo
appealed, electioneered and interrogated Terra Nullius for eighteen years.
In 1982, the campaign worsened between Eddie Koiki Mabo and 4 of the colleagues
of Papua New Guinea and Australia. The High court necessitated the Supreme Court of
Queensland to regulate the evidence on which the case has relied. Although the case was with
Queensland court, the State parliament agreed with the Torres Strait Islands Act which
specified ‘any privileges which Torres Strait Islanders had to land after the privilege of the
dominion in 1879 is quenched without reward. The Torres Strait Islands Act aimed to
eliminate inherent title rights by Torres Strait Islanders to islands off the coast of Queensland
majorly Murray Island that was led by Mabo (Opac, 2017). It resulted in becoming another
challenge for Mabo and his followers to overwhelmed.