Paul Coe
Encyclopedia
Paul Coe , a Wiradjuri
man, is an Australian Aboriginal activist. He was the son of Leslie Coe, and the grandson of Paul Joseph Coe and Edith Murray and the great grandson of Thomas Coe and Jessie Mary, née Waggerah (Crow).
He was active in campaigns around the 1967 referendum and the establishment in 1972 of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
, working with Pearl Gibbs
, Chicka Dixon
and Billy Craigie in the fight for basic human rights and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
He played an important role at the Aboriginal Legal Service.
In 1979, as a young barrister, he took an action in the High Court of Australia
arguing that at the time white people came to Australia, Aborigines were here and therefore the Court had to recognise their rights. (Paul Coe vs. Commonwealth of Australia ).
His claim was rejected on technical grounds; all of the judges except one rejected the notion that Aborigines had any rights to land. Thirteen years later the High Court of Australia accepted Coe's argument, ruling in Mabo
that Aboriginal rights did survive after European arrival and were recognised under the guise of native title.
Coe appealed the decision, but the Supreme Court of NSW Court of Appeal upheld the Tribunal's decision.
Both the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal commended Coe's role in advancing the interests of the Aboriginal community, however, the Court considered that Coe was not fit to practice, stating that the Court must be able to trust that barristers appearing before it would act in accordance with the law and would not mislead the Court.
Media reports indicate that Coe was subsequently investigated by the Bar Association of NSW for continuing to practice despite being removed from the roll. The outcome of the investigation is unknown.
Works for DST
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
man, is an Australian Aboriginal activist. He was the son of Leslie Coe, and the grandson of Paul Joseph Coe and Edith Murray and the great grandson of Thomas Coe and Jessie Mary, née Waggerah (Crow).
He was active in campaigns around the 1967 referendum and the establishment in 1972 of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
Aboriginal Tent Embassy
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a controversial semi-permanent assemblage claiming to represent the political rights of Australian Aborigines. It is made of a large group of activists, signs, and tents that reside on the lawn of Old Parliament House in Canberra, the Australian capital...
, working with Pearl Gibbs
Pearl Gibbs
Pearl Gibbs was an Indigenous Australian activist, and the most prominent female activist within the Aboriginal movement in the early 20th century...
, Chicka Dixon
Chicka Dixon
Charles "Chicka" Dixon was an Australian Aboriginal activist and leader.He was active in campaigns around the 1967 referendum and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, dedicating his life to the fight for basic human rights and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.In 1970 Dixon was...
and Billy Craigie in the fight for basic human rights and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
He played an important role at the Aboriginal Legal Service.
In 1979, as a young barrister, he took an action in the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
arguing that at the time white people came to Australia, Aborigines were here and therefore the Court had to recognise their rights. (Paul Coe vs. Commonwealth of Australia ).
His claim was rejected on technical grounds; all of the judges except one rejected the notion that Aborigines had any rights to land. Thirteen years later the High Court of Australia accepted Coe's argument, ruling in Mabo
Mabo
Mabo may refer to:*Mabo, Togo, a village in Togo*Eddie Mabo, a man from the Torres Strait Islands who fought a court case, attempting to assert a legal title over his tribe's traditional lands...
that Aboriginal rights did survive after European arrival and were recognised under the guise of native title.
Disbarment
In 1997, following proceedings in the Legal Services Tribunal, Paul Coe's name was removed from the roll of legal practitioners. The Tribunal found that Coe had sworn an affidavit which he knew to be false in a material particular. The affidavit in question was sworn in the course of family law proceedings, to which Coe was a party, and understated his salary by some $80,000.Coe appealed the decision, but the Supreme Court of NSW Court of Appeal upheld the Tribunal's decision.
Both the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal commended Coe's role in advancing the interests of the Aboriginal community, however, the Court considered that Coe was not fit to practice, stating that the Court must be able to trust that barristers appearing before it would act in accordance with the law and would not mislead the Court.
Media reports indicate that Coe was subsequently investigated by the Bar Association of NSW for continuing to practice despite being removed from the roll. The outcome of the investigation is unknown.
Works for DST
External links
Paul Coe was 14 in 1963, son of L. J. Coe of Erambie Station.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KusmXsDkqWg Paul Coe talks Black Power in 1972 commenting on Paul; Coe's epitath
- The National library has Biographical cuttings on Paul Coe http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1776138