On 20 May 1982, Eddie Koiki Mabo, Sam Passi, David Passi, Celuia Mapo Salee and James Rice began their legal claim for ownership of their lands on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea. The High Court required the Supreme Court of Queensland to determine the facts on which the case was based but while the case was with the Queensland Court, the State Parliament passed the Torres Strait Islands Coastal Islands Act which stated 'Any rights that Torres Strait Islanders had to land after the claim of sovereignty in 1879 is hereby extinguished without compensation'.
The challenge to this legislation was taken to the High Court and the decision in this case, known as Mabo No. 1, was that the Act was in conflict with the Commonwealth Racial Discrimination Act 1975 and was thus invalid.
It was not until 3 June 1992 that Mabo No. 2 was decided. By then, 10 years after the case opened, both Celuia Mapo Salee and Eddie Mabo had died.
Six of the judges agreed that the Meriam people did have traditional ownership of their land, with Justice Dawson dissenting from the majority judgment. The judges held that British possession had not eliminated their title and that 'the Meriam people are entitled as against the whole world to possession, occupation, use and enjoyment of the lands of the Murray Islands'.
Following the High Court decision in Mabo No. 2, the Commonwealth Parliament passed the Native Title Act in 1993, enabling Indigenous people throughout Australia to claim traditional rights to unalienated land.
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Tuesday, June 1, 2010
ABS shines light on mining claims
Not only did the mining industry not help with the tax payer funded recovery, but the mining and finance industries now stand to benefit most from the recovery. No wonder the government is demanding some of that tax payer funding now be returned via the proposed tax changes:
SMH 1 June
Gross mining profits bounced 9.2 per cent in the quarter to $15 billion in their first rise since September 2008, as economy-wide profits rose by 3.9 per cent, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates published yesterday.
The figures cast doubt on the mining industry's claims it helped keep Australia out of recession while also highlighting the patchy nature of the economy-wide recovery.
In its attack on the proposed resource tax, the mining industry has argued it played a critical role in supporting growth.
But the Bureau of Statistics numbers underline the heavy hit miners took from the slowdown - their quarterly profits remain almost 40 per cent below the pre-crisis peak of $24.4 billion.
Across all industries, company profits grew by their fastest rate in 18 months, though they are still 14 per cent below their pre-crisis peak. In the months ahead, analysts expect mining to play an increasing role as higher commodity prices filter through to earnings, while the outlook for domestic-focused industries is rather more cautious.
RBS chief economist Kieran Davies said mining profits were set to ''dramatically accelerate'' next quarter, which will take into account annual price increases of 50 to 100 per cent for the nation's biggest exports. ''The mining sector will be the standout, and outside that I think the recovery will be slower,'' Mr Davies said.
Gross mining profits bounced 9.2 per cent in the quarter to $15 billion in their first rise since September 2008, as economy-wide profits rose by 3.9 per cent, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates published yesterday.
The figures cast doubt on the mining industry's claims it helped keep Australia out of recession while also highlighting the patchy nature of the economy-wide recovery.
In its attack on the proposed resource tax, the mining industry has argued it played a critical role in supporting growth.
But the Bureau of Statistics numbers underline the heavy hit miners took from the slowdown - their quarterly profits remain almost 40 per cent below the pre-crisis peak of $24.4 billion.
Across all industries, company profits grew by their fastest rate in 18 months, though they are still 14 per cent below their pre-crisis peak. In the months ahead, analysts expect mining to play an increasing role as higher commodity prices filter through to earnings, while the outlook for domestic-focused industries is rather more cautious.
RBS chief economist Kieran Davies said mining profits were set to ''dramatically accelerate'' next quarter, which will take into account annual price increases of 50 to 100 per cent for the nation's biggest exports. ''The mining sector will be the standout, and outside that I think the recovery will be slower,'' Mr Davies said.
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