The Mabo Case: Its Significance for Australia and the World

16 March 2006

Emeritus Professor Peter Russell

A judicial revolution occurred in 1992 when the High Court discarded the doctrine of terra nullius in the Mabo case. The ruling had repercussions for Indigenous peoples within Australia and around the world, especially in Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.

In this lecture presented by the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Professor Peter Russell considers the background and consequences of the Mabo case, contextualising it within the international struggle of Indigenous peoples to overcome their colonized status. He weaves together a historical narrative of Eddie Mabo’s life with an account of the legal and ideological premises of European imperialism, outlining the implications of the Mabo ruling for judicial, constitutional and Indigenous politics.

Broad Topics: Arts and Social Sciences, Law

Sub-topics: History & Archeology, Indigenous Studies, Law, Justice & Law Enforcement, Policy & Political Science

Areas: ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences

Peter Russell is a University Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto where he taught political science from 1958 to his retirement in 1996. He has held visiting professor positions at ANU, Harvard University, and the European Institute.

He is a past President of the Canadian Political Science Association, the Canadian Law and Society Association, and the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy. He has published widely on constitutional, judicial and aboriginal politics. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Part of the 2006 Toyota-ANU Public Lecture Series