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Presentation Type
Presentation
Location
The University of Notre Dame Australia Broome Campus
Start Date
26-6-2024 12:30 PM
Description
Three years after the Kimberley Noonkanbah Dispute, and six years after introduction of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act in the NT, the Aboriginal Land Inquiry (ALI) was established by a newly elected WA State Labor Government in May 1983. Led by Paul Seaman QC, it was sometimes known as ‘The Seaman Inquiry’. The content of the Inquiry’s report based on two years state-wide consultation and research did not become legislation. Notably, the WA Aboriginal Land Inquiry took place nine years before the momentous 1992 High Court of Australia Mabo Decision and active implementation of the National Native Title Act in 1993/1994. This seminar will be introduced and guided by Professor Sandy Toussaint, who worked on the Aboriginal Land Inquiry in 1983-1984. Paying homage to those Aboriginal women and men who contributed to the continuing depth of material that emerged so long ago, emphases will include the how and why the ALI was established by the Labor State Government in the 1980s, its cultural and political processes, and the implications of the ALI's final report and instructions to government. Possible comparisons with contemporary life and the 1993/1994 Federal Native Title Act will also be raised. Questions welcome during the seminar or online.
Recommended Citation
Toussaint, Sandy, "‘Hidden, Not Forgotten: The 1980s WA Aboriginal Land Inquiry'" (2024). Talking Heads Seminar Series. 8.
https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/nulungu_talkingheads/2024/schedule/8
‘Hidden, Not Forgotten: The 1980s WA Aboriginal Land Inquiry'
The University of Notre Dame Australia Broome Campus
Three years after the Kimberley Noonkanbah Dispute, and six years after introduction of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act in the NT, the Aboriginal Land Inquiry (ALI) was established by a newly elected WA State Labor Government in May 1983. Led by Paul Seaman QC, it was sometimes known as ‘The Seaman Inquiry’. The content of the Inquiry’s report based on two years state-wide consultation and research did not become legislation. Notably, the WA Aboriginal Land Inquiry took place nine years before the momentous 1992 High Court of Australia Mabo Decision and active implementation of the National Native Title Act in 1993/1994. This seminar will be introduced and guided by Professor Sandy Toussaint, who worked on the Aboriginal Land Inquiry in 1983-1984. Paying homage to those Aboriginal women and men who contributed to the continuing depth of material that emerged so long ago, emphases will include the how and why the ALI was established by the Labor State Government in the 1980s, its cultural and political processes, and the implications of the ALI's final report and instructions to government. Possible comparisons with contemporary life and the 1993/1994 Federal Native Title Act will also be raised. Questions welcome during the seminar or online.
