Launch of Fourth Edition of Indigenous Legal Issues: Commentary and Materials
Tom Calma
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner
Australian Human Rights Commission
Australian Human Rights Commission, Sydney
6 August 2009
I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal People, the traditional owners and custodians of the Eora Nation and pay my respects to their elders past and present.
The third edition of this book was launched by the previous Social Justice Commissioner, Bill Jonas. So it is pleasing as the next Social Justice Commissioner to follow, that I am able to be here to launch the fourth edition of this book.
As the preface of the book notes, this book first came out in the early 1980s as a result of the efforts of two of the authors who are here today, Garth Nettheim and Heather McRae.
They were at the time, trying to teach a law school elective subject on Indigenous Law, but found that there were no textbooks for such a course. So they created one.
When this book first came out it was a pioneer in its category. At that time there were very few Indigenous students in Universities, a course on Aboriginal issues was a rarity, and as we know, a text book was even harder to find.
Since then each edition of this book, one could say, has been a hallmark of Indigenous Affairs, marking the developments that have emerged these last three decades.
Each edition of the book has reflected the changing times and added chapters on new and emerging issues.
For example, in this fourth edition of the book, we see for the first time a chapter on International Law by Megan Davis. This reflects the landmark developments that have been taking place at the international level, most significant of which has been the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
While this book was important at the time it was first released, because there was no other like it, it is even more important now.
The latest edition once again achieves that difficult task of being able to comprehensively cover a variety of complex issues. It continues to prove itself as an authoritative text, with a critical commentary on how the law can manifest to both limit and progress Indigenous rights.
Students, academics, government officials and community members - Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, will benefit from being able to access the comprehensive overviews of Indigenous legal issues contained in this one book.
It is an important endeavour, and challenge, to ensure that this book remains updated and topical in its subsequent editions’ for it to continue to be a seminal resource for Indigenous legal studies.
Interestingly, in many ways, the growth of this book has also mirrored the growth of Indigenous studies in our universities.
Nowadays we are seeing many more Indigenous students at our Universities, and we see more courses on Indigenous issues, not just in the law faculty but also across other faculties.
Since the first edition of this book there has been a close association between UNSW and the Australian Human Rights Commission.
The Commission has encouraged and supported the development of Indigenous programs at UNSW. Today UNSW has both under-graduate and graduate courses on Indigenous issues, it has an Indigenous Law Centre which also produces the Indigenous Law Bulletin and it has the Nura Gili Indigenous Programs which provide essential support for Indigenous students. I am a member of the Nura Gili Advisory Council.
The Commission has also worked closely with UNSW’s Diplomacy Training Program which since its first annual course in 1990 has provided support and specific training programs for Indigenous Australian advocates.
These achievements have reinforced the need for Indigenous studies to become a core component of university curriculums, in the law faculty as well as other faculties.
Ensuring that Indigenous studies are part of the mainstream curriculum, and part of the education of all Australians, is an important aspect of promoting Indigenous rights and contributing to reconciliation.
Finally, I cannot go any further tonight without taking a moment to acknowledge the work and effort of the authors and a host of other contributors.
The authors are all leading experts in their fields and have contributed generously to this latest edition. They are all here tonight and how wonderful it is to have such a high calibre of authors collaborating on this fourth edition.
I would like to acknowledge each of them for the expertise that they have contributed and congratulate them.
This book in its previous editions has been commended over the years for being an invaluable resource for Indigenous studies. And this edition is no exception.
It is important that publications such as this do continue to get updated and published. And I would like to thank Thomson Reuters for their continued commitment and support to publish such an important resource.
So, it is my great pleasure tonight to formally launch the fourth edition of Indigenous Legal Issues: Commentary and Materials.
Thank you
Indigenous Legal Issues: Commentary and Materials (4th edition) (2009)
Authors: Thalia Anthony, Laura Beacroft, Sean Brennan, Megan Davis, Terri Janke, Heather McRae and Garth Nettheim.
Published by Lawbook Co.
Copies of the book are available from: http://www.thomsonreuters.com.au/catalogue/ProductDetails.asp?ID=10235
