On June 3, 1992, the High Court of Australia ruled that terra-nullius should not have been applied to Australia because the earth was actually occupied by the Indigenous peoples. The Mabo decision recognized and declared the indigenous land rights of Indigenous Australians who had been initially dispossessed. This dispossession put many indigenous lives at risk. Despite its recognition, the Mabo decision failed to bring immediate change for Indigenous Australians as it also declared that pastoralists were allowed to use the land's resources for personal gain, regardless of ownership of the land. ATSI. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay One of the political cartoons I chose to depict clearly illustrates this failure, as it depicts two indigenous elders confronting a judge over their stolen land. . The judge's response is to make a "compromise" which in no way benefits the natives and which nevertheless allows the whites to have total control over the land's resources. This is essentially what the decision did: it allowed the High Court judges to overcome the "white guilt" they so rightly felt for the dispossession of Aboriginal land, while making only a meager attempt to resolve the problem. The judge appears to be in a comfortable position, sitting at a desk with feathers at his side, while the elders are forced to stand. This testifies to the powerless position in which the elders find themselves in relation to the judge who does not really know what the people of ATSI suffered. The dispossession of Aboriginal land has not only been a cause of hardship for many ASTI members, it has also been extremely hypocritical on the part of the Australian authorities. Government; this is expressed well in the second cartoon. The political cartoon depicts the silhouette of three Indigenous Australians standing on an Australian coastline, holding spears. A caricature of the then Prime Minister John Howard and his crew are on a boat. One of the Indigenous Australians, an elder, makes a stopping gesture to John Howard, saying: "We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come..." John Howard responds by stating that such a decision is “inhumane”. He illustrates the hypocrisy of the British actions by using the word “inhumane” which is underlined for emphasis. The cartoon clearly highlights the issue of immigration and refugees which was at the forefront 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, particularly in relation to the outcome of the Mabo decision and the allocation of land rights. Indigenous Australians, many of whom are listed in the latest political cartoon. Where an older indigenous man expresses his anger towards the British, called "boat people" by a young boy. In the background a large ship is visible in the sea with flags on it, with a smaller boat in front of it, although the design is black and white the Union Jack is visible, suggesting that it is refers to British ships. The Aboriginal man lists various ways in which the British disrespected Aboriginal culture, including: "They [the boat people]...are taking our land." This refers to the dispossession of indigenous land rights and the damage it has caused to ATSI people. Keep in mind: this is just one ».’.