Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Resources

Overview

Explainers

Case Notes

Activities

Digital Media

  • Walter Sofronoff KC, a Queensland Barrister who represented the Wik Peoples in the landmark native title case Wik Peoples v Queensland, looks at the origins and definition of Terra Nullius, which is empty land. Terra Nullius was used historically to deny Indigenous claimants rights over any lands. He then discusses two landmark decisions that established Native Title in Australia, articulating how Terra Nullius was rejected as evidence showed that Indigenous peoples did have governing laws and laws regarding property. Mr Sofronoff KC shares how he understands native title to work with an example from post-World War II Japan

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Terra Nullius and Native Title

with Walter Sofronoff KC

Related Resources

  • This explainer outlines what a plurality decision is and how courts reach an outcome when no single majority judgment exists. It explains how different groups of judges may agree on the result for different reasons, how the binding rule is identified and why plurality decisions still provide authoritative guidance within Australia’s legal system.

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  • This activity helps students explore pluralism and why democratic societies protect a diversity of beliefs, values and identities. It guides learners to identify examples of pluralism, examine how laws support peaceful coexistence and understand how respecting difference strengthens equality, participation and the rule of law.

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  • This resource explains how English law was imposed in early NSW and why Indigenous people, though deemed British subjects, were often denied its protections. Using the Myall Creek Massacre and Plunkett’s reforms, it shows how cultural barriers, rules of evidence, and frontier violence undermined equality before the law, and how gradual legal change sought to extend justice to Indigenous Australians.

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