Isabell Coe

Isabell Edie Coe (1951–2012), who was often known by her shortened name Isabel Coe, was a Wiradjuri woman born at Erambie Mission near Cowra, and one of the most prominent Australian Aboriginal leaders.^[1]

Activism

Coe was one of the activists who monitored police brutality and harassment against Aboriginal people, which led to the establishment of the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) in 1970.^[2]

She had a lead role in the running of the original Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra, and was the lead litigant in Isabel Coe v the Commonwealth (1993), where she unsuccessfully tried to force the Australian government to recognise the sovereignty of the Wiradjuri nation.^[3]

Family

She was the sister of prominent activists Paul Coe and Jenny Munro,^[4] and was married to Billy Craigie, one of the co-founders of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, who died in 1998.^[5]