‘A Mere Impertinence…’: An Early History of Aboriginal Land Rights from a Lawyer’s Perspective

— —

Ross Howie

‘A Mere Impertinence…’

An Early History of Aboriginal Land Rights from a Lawyer’s Perspective

Ross Howie

$55

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Australian Scholarly Publishing
01 July 2025

History; Indigenous peoples

In November 1972 Gough Whitlam promised land rights to Aborigines in the Northern Territory. The legislation he introduced was substantially enacted by the Fraser Government in 1976. For 24 years between 1979 and 2002 Ross Howie SC acted for Aboriginal claimants in twenty two traditional land claims and seven early native title cases. In requiring proof of spiritual affiliation, responsibility and traditional attachment to land the cases revealed significant accounts of cultural understanding and practice and extraordinary personal histories. It was a mind-enlarging experience for a lawyer and an astonishing period of change in Australian legal history.

By: Ross Howie
Imprint: Australian Scholarly Publishing
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781923267244
ISBN 10: 1923267248
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 01 July 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Ross Howie was a partner in a Melbourne law firm before going to Alice Springs on 11 November 1975 to work until December 1981 with the Aboriginal Legal Service and Central Land Council. As a barrister at the Victorian Bar until October 2002, when appointed a judge of the County Court, his practice included many Aboriginal land claims and early native title cases. Paul Burke in Law’s Anthropology described him as ‘the most experienced and successful land claim trial lawyer in Australia’.