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Scholarly resources on JSTOR include Archival and Current Journals, Books, and Primary Sources.
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Online version of the complete reference work along with dictionary, atlas, links, magazines, historical documents, audio, video, images, and 3D photograph
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Britannica School covers the core subject areas of English, Maths, Science and History. Interactive lessons, activities, games, stories, worksheets, manipulatives, study guides and research tools.
Informit Explore
Informit Explore helps you find reliable Australian articles and research easily.

Snapshot - September 2025 - Australia

Controversial deportation laws passed amid plans to re-settle hundreds

On 4 September, the Australian parliament passed the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2025 Measure No.1) Bill, 2025, enabling the deportation of non-citizens to third countries without procedural fairness (i.e. individuals will only be notified of deportation proceedings once a final decision has been made). The law also allows for the enforcement of prior visa cancellations, even if they were blocked or based on incorrect or incomplete information. The bill follows a 2023 High Court ruling that blocked indefinite detention for non-citizens unable to return home, leading to the release of hundreds of detainees. The government claims that only a small number of non-citizens awaiting deportations will be affected, particularly those with serious criminal histories and others linked to the Court ruling, who will be deported to Nauru, under a recent bilateral agreement. However, legal experts warn that it could affect 80,000 people, particularly alongside the harsh anti-migration laws passed in December 2024. Opposition leaders and civil society strongly condemned the bill’s rushed and secretive passage that prevented adequate public consultation.

Retrieved from: Australia | The Global State of Democracy. (n.d.). Www.idea.int. https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/country/australia

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SUBMISSION ON HOME AFFAIRS LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (2025 MEASURES NO. 1) BILL 2025 - Asylum Seekers Centre
Retrieved from: Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2025, from https://asylumseekerscentre.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Asylum-Seekers-Centre-Submission-Home-Affairs-Legislation-Amendment-2025-Measures-No.-1-Bill-2025.pdf

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The Government's new Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2025 Measures No. 1) Bill -
referred to by refugee and human rights advocates as the ‘Anti-Fairness Bill’ poses
significant risks to human rights, legal fairness, and human dignity.

Retrieved from: Allegra Spender. (2025, November 2). 2.9.2025 - BILLS - Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2025 Measures No. 1) Bill. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4K7GBZBYLI

The Mabo Decision

Retrieved from: 480 Mabo S1 • E4 - The Mabo Case. (2022). ClickView. https://www.clickview.net/secondary/videos/18729010/the-mabo-case

Mabo decision - Museum of Australia
Retrieved from: National Museum of Australia. (2022). Mabo decision. Nma.gov.au, 1(1). https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/mabo-decision

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On 3 June 1992 the High Court of Australia recognised that a group of Torres Strait Islanders, led by Eddie Mabo, held ownership of Mer (Murray Island). In acknowledging the traditional rights of the Meriam people to their land, the court also held that native title existed for all Indigenous people. This landmark decision gave rise to important native title legislation the following year and rendered terra nullius a legal fiction.
The Mabo Decision
Retrieved from: Parliament of Australia. (2024). The Mabo Decision. Parliament of Australia; Parliament of Australia. https://www.aph.gov.au/Visit_Parliament/Art/Stories_and_Histories/The_Mabo_decision

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On 3 June 1992, the High Court of Australia handed down its landmark ruling on Mabo v Queensland No. 2 establishing the principle of native title rights in Australian common law.
The judgment overturned the concept of terra nullius – that Australia was a ‘land belonging to no-one’ at the time James Cook in 1770 declared possession in the name of the British Crown.
Land Rights and Eddie Mabo - Informit
Retrieved from: Land rights and Eddie Mabo. (2024, February 9). Informit.org. https://search.informit.org/explore/1003

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In response to growing pressure, the Australian government established the Woodward Commission in 1973, which recommended granting land rights to Aboriginal People (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2020 ).
Mabo 20 Years On - Podcast
Retrieved from: National Museum of Australia. (2022). Mabo decision. Nma.gov.au, 1(1). https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/mabo-decision

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Members of the community and politicians celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Mabo High Court decision on 3 June 1992 which recognised that Eddie Koiki Mabo and others held native title to land on Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait.
About Native Title
Retrieved from: AIATSIS. (2020). About Native Title. Aiatsis.gov.au. https://aiatsis.gov.au/about-native-title

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The Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) (NTA) states that when a native title determination is made, native title holders must establish a corporation called a Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBC) to manage and protect their native title rights and interests.
What is native title?
Retrieved from: First Peoples - State Relations. (2024, January 22). What is native title? Www.firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au. https://www.firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au/what-is-native-title

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Native title is the recognition in Australian law that some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to hold rights and interests in land and water.
European Settlement and Terra Nullius - Rue of Law Education Centre
Retrieved from: Rule of Law Education Centre. (2022). Terra nullius. Rule of Law Education Centre. https://www.ruleoflaw.org.au/education/australian-colonies/terra-nullius/

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The term terra nullius means ‘nobody’s land’ or ‘land belonging to nobody.’ In legal jargon, terra nullius means ‘land over which no previous sovereignty has been exercised.’

It wasn’t until the late 20th century that the term terra nullius was used in connection to the colonisation of Australia. This term was used in a way which described ideas regarding sovereignty that were already in existence from colonisation.

Retrieved from:The Legacy of Eddie Koiki Mabo | Q+A. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLaTtIcAg8w

Retrieved from: Behind the News. (2024, June 3). What Is Mabo Day? YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQYbpBTmA-M

Use this film to explore the historical and ongoing struggle for land rights in Australia and the personal and political journey of Eddie Mabo in challenging systemic injustice.

Retrieved from: Mabo. (2019). ClickView. https://www.clickview.net/secondary/videos/1976530/mabo

National Native Title Tribunal
Retrieved from: Native Title Vision. (n.d.). Www.nntt.gov.au. https://www.nntt.gov.au/assistance/Geospatial/Pages/NTV.aspx

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Native Title Vision (NTV) is a free online visualisation, mapping and query tool.

Tasmanian Dams Case

Tasmanian Dams Case - Environmental Law Australia
Retrieved from: Environmental Law Australia. (2015). Environmental Law Australia | Tasmanian Dam Case. Environmental Law Australia. https://envlaw.com.au/tasmanian-dam-case/

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The Tasmanian Dam Case is the most famous and influential environmental law case in Australian history. It was also a landmark in Australian constitutional law.
High Court of Australia Case Study - The Tasmanian Dams Case
Retrieved from: Parliamentary Education Office. (2022). High Court of Australia case study: the Tasmanian Dams Case. Peo.gov.au. https://peo.gov.au/assets/documents/Units-of-work/Year-10/WS-2-1_High-Court-case-study.docx

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The Commonwealth of Australia v Tasmania—known informally as the Tasmanian Dams Case—is one of the most famous constitutional cases in Australian history. The High Court’s interpretation of the Australian Constitution in this case set a precedent for the Australian Parliament to make laws to fulfil Australia’s international legal obligations.

Retrieved from: School of Learning. (2025, June 5). Commonwealth v Tasmania (The Tasmanian Dam Case 1983). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBmIibSOxUA

Retrieved from: TASMANIAN DAM CASE (1983): The Corporations and External Affairs Powers of Section 51 | AUSSIE LAW. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHe55v9Yzeo

Snapshot - September 2025 - China

Draft law on ‘ethnic unity’ raises minority rights concerns

On 8 September, the draft Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress was submitted to the National People’s Congress (legislature). The proposed law alters China’s legal framework governing minority rights, introducing mandatory requirements in education, housing and family life that promote a ‘common consciousness of the Chinese nation.’ The law standardizes the use of Mandarin across all sectors, removing key protections under the 1984 Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law, which allowed minorities to ‘use and develop their own spoken and written languages.’ For example, Mandarin must now ‘take the lead’ and accompany all official documents issued in native languages and is mandated in schools starting from pre-school. Additionally, it criminalizes acts deemed to ‘damage ethnic unity.’ Rights experts have warned that the legal framework will serve to justify the intensified repression of minorities in China, including Tibetans, Mongolians, Uyghurs and diaspora activists.

Retrieved from: China | The Global State of Democracy. (n.d.). Www.idea.int. https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/country/china

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Rights group warns new China law threatens minority protections - Jurist News
Retrieved from: Golin, B. (2025, September 30). Rights group warns new China law threatens minority protections. Jurist.org; - JURIST - News. https://www.jurist.org/news/2025/09/human-rights-watch-warns-new-china-law-threatens-minority-protections/

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The law would fundamentally alter China’s legal framework surrounding minority rights. China currently observes a 1984 statute called the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Regional National Autonomy, which guarantees minorities the right to “use and develop their own spoken and written languages and their freedom to preserve or reform their own folkways and customs.” The new law would effectively overturn the 1984 statute.

Retrieved from: FRANCE 24 English. (2025, October 3). Human Rights Watch sounds alarm over China’s new draft “ethnic unity” law • FRANCE 24 English. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddws6dXa0Tk