Introduction: 50-80 words The 2008 National Apology is the latest addition to key aspects of Australia's reconciliation with the indigenous owners of our land. Part of this movement towards reconciliation is the recognition of the rights of Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders to their land. Upon arrival in Australia, Australia was considered by the English to be terra nullius, land that belonged to no one. This subsequently meant that Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were never recognized as the Traditional Owners. Eddie Mabo made a very significant contribution to the rights and freedoms of indigenous Australians as he was the progenitor of a long court case in 1982 fighting for the land rights of Torres Strait Islanders. Eddie Mabo's introduction of the Native Title Act provided Indigenous Australians with the opportunity to stake claims to their land, legally recognizing Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people as traditional owners. Body Paragraph 1: 200-300 words Eddie Mabo's success in land rights reshaped and rewrote Australian society and history. Mabo was born a Torres Strait Islander and member of the Meriam people on Murray Island (Mer), in 1936. He went on to become an indigenous community leader and human rights activist after marrying Bonita Nehow in 1959 and joining to the Torres Strait Islander community, subsequently becoming headmaster of the Townsville Black Community School in 1973. Patrick Hatch, reporter for the 2013 Herald Sun Newspaper, reiterated Mabo's reaction to being told that his land on Mer belonged to the Crown and not to his family from Professor Noel Loos and Henry Reynolds, colleagues from James Cook University, where Mabo worked as a gardener in 1974. “Everyone knows...... middle of paper......foundation: http ://www.documentaryaustralia.com.au/case_studies/details/22 /mabo-life-of-an-island-manHatch, P. (2013, 5 April). Eddie Mabo's epic fight for land rights changed Australian law and history. Retrieved from Herald Sun: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/fight-for-land-rights-changed-history/story-fnat7jnn-1226613120932Way, R.N. (2013, January 19). Edward Koiki Mabo 1936-1992. Retrieved from Racism No Way: http://www.racismnoway.com.au/teaching-resources/factsheets/54.htmlWay, R.N. (2013, February 4). Racism. There's no way! Project. Retrieved from Racism No Way: http://www.racismnoway.com.au/site/about.htmlWikipedia. (2014, March 19). Herald Sun. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herald_SunWikipedia. (2014, April 11). The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sydney_Morning_Herald