"We're so pleased with the outcome,for all our people,"said Dr Atkinson,an academic."Especially for the younger people coming through,who really shouldn't have to deal with that continual stuff to have to justify their identity."
"It was never about free speech,it has always been a question of professionalism,and the reality is that the original articles were not professional journalism,"said Ms Eatock,a 73-year-old Aboriginal activist.
"The sword of justice has struck,and cut off the head of the serpent,"said former ATSIC chairman Geoff Clark."Let's hope it doesn't grow two heads."
The three were among the nine"fair-skinned Aborigines",as Justice Bromberg called them,who brought the action against Bolt and his employer,the Herald and Weekly Times (as publisher of theHerald Sun),over two Bolt articles published in the paper in 2009 and two posts on Bolt's blog on the paper's website.
They had argued that Bolt's writings offended,upset and demeaned them,and that the articles had sought to imply that they identified as Aborigines in order to gain career,social or other advantage.
Bolt's argument that,as lighter-skinned Aborigines the nine had multiple identities open to them,meant the case became unofficially a test of definitions of Aboriginality.
Officially,though,it was a test of the balance between free speech and protection from offence.
This morning,Justice Bromberg came down in favour of racial tolerance.
"People should be free to fully identify with their race without fear of public disdain or loss of esteem for so identifying,"he said.
"On the basis of my findings,I am satisfied that each of Mr Bolt and the Herald&Weekly Times engaged in conduct which contravened section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act."