The Case of the Gunditjmara and Eastern Maar Peoples of Australia

While uncovering the corruption of the MENA region’s authoritarian regimes and the looting of the territory and wealth of their people, we take note of a positive development from the Australian continent, in which a group of indigenous peoples on the continent won recognition of their right to ownership of the territory of the island on which they live. This represents a great achievement in the legal struggle of the peoples’ leaders before the courts over fifteen years. The Australian Federal Court rule in favor of the Gunditjmara and Eastern Maar peoples claim to Deen Maar Island, a.k.a. Lady Julia Percy Island, as well as 4,000 hectares of Crown land, between the areas of Dunkeld and Yambuk, on the southwestern coast of Victoria.

The territory originally had been part of a 1996 native title application by the Gunditjmara people for about 137,000 hectares of land. However, presiding Judge Tony North set aside 4,000 hectares from that application in 2007, to include the Eastern Maar people in the claim. In 2007 Justice North granted native title rights to the Gunditjmara people over the 133,000 hectares of Crown land from the original application in a special session of the court in the land in question.

Judge North commented that By doing justice to the Gunditjmara and Eastern Maar people, the state, the commonwealth and the other respondents have taken a step to right past wrongs and lay a basis for reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

Australia’s Attorney-General Robert Clark also attended occasion and congratulated all the parties and said it was a great achievement of the fourth generation of the peoples indigenous self-determination, and it shows the depth of historical continuity and spiritual leader of the indigenous people of the land. And their right to stay on the land and use and enjoy the resources of interest, as well as water.   Follow the links for the court ruling more on the story of the Gunditjmara and Eastern Maar peoples