Aboriginal resistance to white settlement has continued for almost 200 years. In earlier times guerilla warfare was waged, but failed against the more sophisticated armoury of the invaders Australia's Aborigines have refused to accept defeat,they are now using different tactics to get back some of their land Aborigines have developed strong community-based organisations which are now winning significant gains from successive white governments.

In NSW, the first State to be colonised, the government has at last officially recognised the fact of prior ownership and passed land rights legislation through the State parliament. For many Aborigines this offer of land rights is not good enough. Even though they have lost much of their traditional culture, they feel just as strongly as the more tribal Aborigines living in the northern areas of Australia.

For the Aborigines of the southern States the fight for rights is becoming more urgent than ever, as earlier policies of assimilation and integration have eroded their culture and identity. "Up for Grabs" gives an inside look at the development of Aboriginal political processes and shows how in contemporary Australia they are becoming a cohesive force which can no longer be hushed by handouts.