Commentary: members of the Yorta Yorta Aboriginal Community v Victoria (2002) 214 CLR 422

Edited book (chapter)

Young, Simon. 2021. "Commentary: members of the Yorta Yorta Aboriginal Community v Victoria (2002) 214 CLR 422." Watson, Nicole and Douglas, Heather (ed.) Indigenous Legal Judgments: Bringing Indigenous Voices into Judicial Decision Making. United Kingdom. Routledge. pp. 92-111
Chapter Title

Commentary: members of the Yorta Yorta Aboriginal Community v Victoria (2002) 214 CLR 422

Book Chapter CategoryEdited book (chapter)
ERA Publisher ID3137
Book TitleIndigenous Legal Judgments: Bringing Indigenous Voices into Judicial Decision Making
Authors
AuthorYoung, Simon
EditorsWatson, Nicole and Douglas, Heather
Page Range92-111
Chapter Number6
Number of Pages20
Year2021
PublisherRoutledge
Place of PublicationUnited Kingdom
ISBN9781032004815
9781003174349
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003174349-9
Web Address (URL)https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003174349-9/members-yorta-yorta-aboriginal-community-victoria-2002-214-clr-422-simon-young
Abstract

Representatives of the Yorta Yorta peoples sought recognition of their native title over land and waters in the early-settled and intensively used Murray River area. The trial judge concluded that whatever the contemporary practices of the community, the claimants’ ancestors had ceased to occupy their traditional lands in accordance with their traditional laws and customs, and therefore, the foundations of the claim had disappeared. The Full Court of the Federal Court upheld this decision, as did the High Court which found that there was a discontinuity in the observance of traditional laws and custom by the Yorta Yorta peoples. The ‘missing’ High Court judgment, written from an Indigenous sovereignty perspective, is offered here. It focuses on the survival of the Yorta Yorta peoples and their custodial ethic and reframes the challenge for the courts as recognising adaptation and resilience rather than measuring cultural erosion.

KeywordsNative title, continuity, Yorta Yorta, First Nations, Proof, colonisation
Contains Sensitive ContentDoes not contain sensitive content
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020480604. Property law (excl. intellectual property law)
450104. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture
480410. Legal theory, jurisprudence and legal interpretation
Byline AffiliationsSchool of Law and Justice
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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