Three nations, one Australia?
Since Federation, Australians have thought of themselves as one sovereign nation. A nation for a continent. But what of the original Australians?
Are they nations within?
This is a provocative study of the relations between indigenous Australians and mainstream society. It presents a bold new interpretation of Aboriginal political development. It challenges us to consider that the Mabo decision is not the boundary at which the recognition of indigenous rights must cease.
It confronts the question of whether Aboriginal society exercised a form of sovereignty before 1788, whether the 'tribes' were actually small 'nations'. It considers legal interpretations of what happened when the Britons arrived. It looks at customary law and then considers current political and constitutional discussion, in Australia nd overseas.
What are the lessons from North America? Can there be self-determination for the 'nations within' a nation state?
