‘Gough Whitlam time’: land rights in the Borroloola area of Australia's northern territory

Abstract

A geographic perspective highlights the arbitrary nature of the land claim process. Lines that Europeans have drawn on maps demarcating different land titles in European law have determined which groups of Aboriginal people have and have not been able to claim land. Such European constructs disregard Aboriginal law and ignore much older mental maps of land based on Aboriginal religious and economic ties to country. This article examines the process of the land claim hearing at Borroloola in the Northern Territory and the Aboriginal responses to the outcome. The impact of the land claim decision on the lives of Aboriginal people in the area is also explored.