Aboriginal Peoples Law and Land

This course will develop an understanding of Aboriginal peoples, their legal systems and the underlying philosophy of those systems of law and focus also on the different relationships Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples have to the land. In examining those differences, students will study key concepts in both Aboriginal and Australian property law. This course will examine and critically evaluate contemporary discussions on the recognition or otherwise of Aboriginal peoples by the Australian legal system. Further comparative analysis of laws will be drawn from the areas of cultural heritage protection, international law and the ownership and control of Aboriginal knowledges and intellectual property law. To enable students to develop an advanced understanding of the Aboriginal relationship to law and land and the impact colonialism has had upon those relationships.