Mabo (Land Case)

The Mabo case was a landmark Australian legal decision in 1992 that recognized Indigenous Australians’ traditional land rights. Eddie Mabo and others challenged the Australian government’s legal claim that the continent was "terra nullius" (land belonging to no one) at the time of colonization. The High Court of Australia acknowledged that Indigenous peoples had their own systems of land ownership and that these rights could be legally recognized. This decision led to the overturning of the concept of terra nullius and paved the way for Indigenous land claims, significantly transforming Australian property laws and acknowledging the historical connection between Indigenous peoples and their land.