Bringing together a well-respected team of commentators, many of them indigenous Australians themselves, this revised and updated edition examines the legal, social and political developments that have taken place in Australia since the publication of the last edition. Providing students with a greater understanding of the issues facing Indigenous Australians in the hope of contributing to reconciliation, the authors explore a broad range of developments, including: human rights and reconciliation in contemporary Australia; the demise of ATSIC; issues of indigenous governance and water rights. Giving readers an incisive account of the resounding impact of social, political and legal conditions upon the Indigenous people of Australia and their interaction with and recourse to the law, this book is an excellent resource for those interested in the law of a coloniser or conqueror and its lasting impact upon first nations.

Table of Contents

The impact of colonisation Self-determination Reconciliation and the State Constitution Human rights and the Indigenous People Intellectual property and the Dreaming Petrol Sniffing Aboriginal Women and the Law Crime and Sentencing Indigenous Governance and the Crown A Reflection Stolen Generations/Aboriginal Children in State Care Accounting for Customary Law within the Common Law Land Rights, Native Title and Indigenous Land Use Agreements Reconciliation in contemporary Australia The future for self-determination Water rights Cultural Heritage & Repatriation

About the Author

Attorney General's Office, Government of South Australia Flinders University, Australia