02/06/2026
Happy Mabo Day! Today we remember the 1992 Mabo decision when the High Court of Australia recognised native title. The court acknowledged that Eddie Koiki Mabo, David Passi, Sam Passi, James Rice & Celuia Salee had occupied Mer Island in the Torres Strait before colonial occupation.
That decision recognised that the rights of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander over their lands have survived
The final day of National Reconciliation Week every year is one of the most significant in Australia.
Mabo Day, celebrated annually on 3 June, commemorates Mer Island man Eddie Koiki Mabo and his successful advocacy to overturn the legal fiction of terra nullius, or ‘land belonging to no-one’.
Following the High Court’s Mabo decision, Australia’s Federal Parliament passed the Native Title Act 1993 which established a legal framework for native title claims throughout Australia by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
and Mabo Day are a reminder to be ‘All In’ to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to commit ourselves to reconciliation and the fight for First Nations justice in Australia.
🎞️ To learn more about Mabo and the High Court case, check out ‘Judgment: Cases That Changed Australia’ on ABC iview: https://ab.co/4uGzxcT
