John Douglas was appointed the protector ("government gesident") of the Torres Strait. Douglas established a system of island councils, based on existing social and political arrangements. These councils would later prove significant in how islanders' negotiated for their rights and freedoms in an increasingly controlled environment.
Following Douglas' death, Torres Strait Islanders were placed under the Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897. This was the Queensland version of the "protection acts" operating across all states that placed First Nations peoples under the administration of colonial governments. This heralded a period of oppressive control over the everyday lives of Islanders, restricting their movements and taking control of their maritime industries.
Torres Strait Islanders led a significant maritime strike not only about worker conditions but a broader assertion of islander identity, self-determination and political organisation. The strike elevated islander concerns beyond the local level, demanding greater say in the policies and laws shaping their lives. It led to the establishment of the first Islanders Councillors Conference.
The first Islanders Councillors Conference took place on August 23. Representatives from 14 Torres Strait Islands communities came together to establish a new mode of local representation for the Torres Strait Islands and negotiate for changes to the Protection Act.
The Queensland government passed the Torres Strait Islander Act, recognising Torres Strait Islanders as a distinct peoples for the first time. This was in response to requests raised at the 1937 Islanders Councillors Conference. However, very restrictive government controls around everyday life for Zenadth Kes peoples continued.
Torres Strait Islander Light Infantry Battalion (TSLIB) soldiers involved in the second world war conducted a sit-down strike for equal wages and fair treatment from the Australian Army. The strike lasted one day and yielded improvements in their wages and treatment.
In the wake of WWII, thanks to the international civil rights movements, changing social norms within Australia, and the sustained pursuit of self-determination through the Island Councils and other means, most of the remaining restrictions in the Torres Strait Islander Act were lifted. Yet, a large number of islanders relocated to mainland Australia.
The islanders' "Border Not Change" campaign was influential in the 1978 Torres Strait Treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea, which took effect from 1985. This clarified the management of maritime borders and relationships across communities impacted by the colonial border which separated Australia and the new nation of Papua New Guinea.
Meriam people commenced legal proceedings that ten years later would result in the Mabo No. 2 High Court decision declaring terra nullius a myth and establishing native title as a property right. This created both a recognition that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had always been here, and for those who could show ongoing connection to the land, created a possibility for that to be expressed as a legal right today.
The High Court of Australia delivered the Mabo No. 2 decision that declared terra nullius a myth and established native title as a recognisable property right in Australian law.
The Torres Strait Regional Authority was established by the Commonwealth government to manage the Torres Strait region. The authority included a board with 20 elected members of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people who lived in the region.
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs delivered a report titled A New Deal: Greater Autonomy for Torres Strait Islanders. It acknowledged "Torres Strait Islanders could take responsibility for their own affairs". This represented one of the strongest endorsements by a government in support of self-determination and political autonomy for the region.
The 2017 Referendum Council held a Regional Dialogue on Thursday Island, involving local organisations and Torres Strait Islander people. This dialogue was part of many regional dialogues held across the continent where communities discussed what meaningful constitutional recognition looked like to them. The Thursday Island dialogue endorsed a Voice to Parliament and Treaty.
Zenadth Kes people delivered the Masig Statement of Self-Determination called Malungu Yangu Wakay, translating to "a Voice from the Deep". This was on August 23, marking the 85th anniversary of the First Islanders Councillors Conference. The Masig Statement was a clear indication islanders had a distinct voice from the rest of Indigenous Australia and did not want to be submerged in mainstream Indigenous agendas.