Topic
Terra Nullius
Instructions
Discuss the doctrine of terra nullius and why it was applied in the British colonisation of Australia
Each answer should be:
- Approximately 300 words in length (plus or minus %10)
- Include in-text referencing (with the author/date/page numbers) where required. You may use either APA 6th Edition referencing style or Harvard in-text referencing style.
- A reference list in alphabetical order on a separate page to the rest of your document
Answer preview
Terra nullius is a Latin word that means “no man’s land”; it is a doctrine that is utilized in international law to illustrate territory that may be acquired by a nation’s occupation of the land. The English interpreted Terra nullius as land that was unsettled or unoccupied in the European sense, in that the land did not have houses or pastures that were cultivated (Simpson, 1993.p. 195). Moreover, they stated that the local community had not developed their roads, towns or farms, and they did not have a social system of government. The doctrine was an eighteen century convention of European international law that provided that any land that was unsettled or unoccupied could be obtained as a new territory by a sovereign nation.
Word count: 398