On 3 June 1992, the Australian High Court decided that terra-nullius should not apply to Australia as the land was actually occupied by Aboriginal Peoples . The Mabo decision recognized and declared the native land rights of originally dispossessed indigenous Australians. This dispossession put many indigenous lives at risk. Despite its recognition, the Mabo decision failed to bring about any immediate change for indigenous Australians because it also declared that pastoralists were allowed to use the land's resources for their own personal gain, regardless of ATSI ownership. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of the political cartoons I chose to describe clearly illustrates this failure, as it depicts two Aboriginal elders confronting a judge about their stolen land. The judge's response is to make a "compromise" that does not benefit the natives in any way and still allows the whites to have full control over the resources of the lands. This is essentially what the decision did: it allowed the High Court judges to overcome the “white guilt” they so rightly felt over the dispossession of indigenous lands by making only a meager attempt to resolve the issue. The judge appears to be in a comfortable position, sitting at a desk with pens at his side, while the elders are forced to stand. This signifies the helpless position that the elders find themselves in compared to the judge who does not really know what the ATSI people have suffered. The expropriation of indigenous lands has not only caused hardship for many ASTI people, but has also been extremely hypocritical towards Australians. Government; this is expressed well in the second cartoon. The political cartoon depicts the silhouette of three indigenous Australians standing on an Australian coast, holding spears. A cartoon caricature of then Prime Minister John Howard and his crew are on a boat. One of the indigenous Australians, an elder, makes a stopping gesture at John Howard, saying, "We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come..." John Howard responds by saying that such a decision is "inhumane." Illustrates the hypocrisy of the actions of the English by using the underlined word “inhuman” for emphasis. The cartoon clearly shows the issue of immigration and refugees which was prominent during Howard's tenure as Prime Minister. However, the presence of Aboriginal Australians in the cartoon allows the audience to see how hypocritical the government has been especially regarding the outcome of the Mabo Decision and the allocation of land rights. Native land ownership has caused much harm to Indigenous Australians, many of whom are listed in the latest political cartoon. Where an older indigenous man expresses his anger towards the English, referred to as "boat people", to a young boy. In the background, a large ship is visible at sea with flags, with a smaller boat in front, although the cartoon is black and white, the British flag is visible suggesting that these are British ships. The indigenous man lists several ways in which the English were disrespectful to indigenous culture, one of which is: “They [the boat people]…take our land.” This refers to the expropriation of native land rights and the harm it has done to ATSI people. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion,’.