The ILC Board, Executive and staff pays its respects and passes on our sincere condolences to the Mabo family today as we sadly hear of the passing of the great Bonita Mabo, wife of Eddie Mabo.

At this sad time the ILC pays tribute to Bonita Mabo a remarkable woman, whose support and sacrifice is ingrained in the story of native title recognition in this country – and thus the birth of the ILC.

Bonita and Eddie Mabo campaigned for Indigenous land rights which led to a landmark decision of the High Court of Australia, overturning 200 years of the common law assumption of Terra Nullius.

Since its inception in 1995, the ILC has paid homage to the Mabo Judgement as the catalyst for subsequent negotiations between the Government and Indigenous Leaders. The result being a National Agreement and the establishment of the $2billion Land Fund and the Indigenous Land Corporation.

The ILC takes its responsibility for administering Land Acquisition and Land Management from the Land Fund (now the Land Account) seriously and does so with an eye to its perpetuity for future Indigenous generations, but also to its history and birth from native title recognition led by the Mabo family.

We’re proud of the achievements and sacrifices that Bonita, Eddie and the whole Mabo family made for Indigenous Australians, past and present. Their fight will not be forgotten.

Eddie Fry (ILC Chairperson) and John Maher (ILC Group CEO) of the Indigenous Land Corporation