Michael Mansell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Michael Mansell BA LLB (UTas) | |
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| Born | June 5, 1951 northern Tasmania |
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| Nationality | Australian / Palawa |
| Residence | Hobart, Tasmania |
| Alma mater | University of Tasmania |
| Occupation | lawyer, activist |
Michael Mansell (born June 5, 1951 in northern Tasmania) is an Indigenous Australian lawyer and activist, who has dedicated his life to social, political and legal reform to improve the lives and social standing of Indigenous Tasmanians.
He is himself a Palawa (Indigenous Tasmanian), descended from the Trawlwoolway on his mother's side and Pinterrairer on his father's side, both of which are north-eastern Tasmanian tribes.
Michael Mansell has often been seen as controversial, having resorted to confrontational tactics in order to push issues of Indigenous rights and past mistreatment onto the public agenda in Tasmania. Although he has mostly enjoyed strong support from within the indigenous community, his controversies have often led to public confrontation with politicians and the media. One area where he is most in conflict with the Australian and Tasmanian governments is over the issue of sovereignty.
One of his more notorious publicity stunts was an effort in 1988 to gain international recognition for the cause of Indigenous Tasmanians by establishing an alternative Aboriginal Australian passport, and he secured a coup by having isolated Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi officially recognising it as valid for travel to Libya.[1]
Michael Mansell has also been criticised from within the Indigenous Tasmanian population by a group who refer to themselves as the 'Lia Pootah' who are a group who claim mixed blood descendancy from Indigenous Tasmanians and early Bass Strait seal hunters. They feel that Mansell and the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre only represent the Palawa, and not the Lia Pootah.[2]
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[edit] Legal career
From an early age, Mansell protested at the status and treatment of Indigenous Tasmanians within the community. However he soon discovered that mere protest was an ineffective measure to achieve his aims of land rights and improved conditions, and the radical tactics that he and other Indigenous rights protesters employed in the 1970's were abandoned.
As a result, Mansell undertook a degree in law at the University of Tasmania. Upon graduating, he began a career as a lawyer, attempting to defend the rights of indigenous Australians, whilst pursuing an agenda of reform. Since then he has become a qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Tasmania, and the High Court of Australia.
He has also been both Chairman and Legal Manager of Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, and he is the secretary of the self-proclaimed Aboriginal Provisional Government.
In 1987 Mansell was named 'Aboriginal of the Year', and played a crucial role in the drafting of legislation for the Native Title Act 1993 that arose out of the Mabo v Queensland case.
[edit] Publications
Some of the subjects that Michael Mansell has written about include the Australian Constitution, Aboriginal Customary law, Cultural and Intellectual Property, The Human Genome Project, Land Rights and Aboriginal Sovereignty.[3]
[edit] Rudd apology
Upon his election as 26th Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd announced he would fulfil an election promise to offer a formal public apology on behalf of all Australians for the treatment of the Stolen Generations. He fulfilled this promise on 13 February 2008 as the first order of business for his newly formed government.
On 11 February 2008 Mansell appeared on Australian ABC Radio programme Radio National and although happy that the new Prime Minister had made such an apology, referred to an apology without compensation as a 'half-measure'.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Desperate Times. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ The Palawa Aboriginal People of Tasmania, Australia. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ Michael Mansell - Abstract. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ Michael Mansell - Interview (Audio file). Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
