Customary Law

• Aboriginal Customary Law was passed on by word of mouth. This is called oral law. This legal system based on customs and rituals, varied between the approximately 600 different Indigenous groups living in Australia.
• Europeans mistook the lack of a written code for lack of law and civilisation
• Kinship

  Traditional indigenous rules that outline the correct way of living
• Terra Nullius

  Latin for “land belonging to no one”. The legal doctrine that allowed for the displacement of Aboriginal customary law
• Native Title act

  Eddie Mabo (the first piece of legislation that recognised customary law)
• Payback

  is the action taken to restore the balance after an offence is committed.
• Circle sentencing

  introduced to remove the barriers that existed between indigenous people and the legal system