LAW4158

Indigenous peoples and the law 406

(LAW)

Not offered in 2000

Melissa Castan

6 points + 3 seminar hours per week + Clayton + Corequisites: LAW3300 and LAW3400

Synopsis: The legislative control, /protection0 and disempowerment experienced by indigenous Australians and the historical, comparative and contemporary contexts of their experiences in and with the Australian legal system. The legal and historical background and legal relations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people of Australia, and the concept of legal identity. Laws and policies concerning dispossession, protection and assimilation. Over-representation of indigenous people within the criminal justice system. The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Land rights, the Mabo and Wik cases, and the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth). Human rights and the role of international law, self determination, reconciliation and law reform.

Assessment: Class participation and presentation: 10% + Research paper (2500-3000 words): 40% + Supervised examination: 50%