Mabo is not the first to ask for self determination in Australian Indigenous History|| CORRANDERK

The fight for self determination of the Indigenous People’s didn’t start with Mabo, in fact it had happened throughout the acceleration of colonisation in the 19th century. Housed within the Victorian Parliament is a petition and a Parliamentary Inquiry of 1881, into the management of the Aboriginal Protection Board, that was encroaching upon the Corranderk community’s right to self govern. The Aboriginal Protection Board wanted to remove John Green from managing the Coranderrk reserve, and to close the reserve, given that Green didn’t want to sell the reserve and relocate the indigenous peoples. But lobbying within the board was rife, and some parties had the interest to exploit the reserve.

The petition was delivered to the parliament, by William Barack, the Kulin people, and John Green. And the parliamentary inquiry was motioned by Graham Berry.