What did squatters believe?

Answer 1

In Australian history, squatters were graziers who occupied land without having any formal title to it. They believed that if they maintained and improved the land, they had a right to formal possession of it. Many of the original squatters were ticket-of-leave convicts. Some came by their land dishonestly. A licensing system was introduced whereby, for a regular fee, the squatters were permitted to stay on their land. However, the fee did not grant them full title. Discontent arose when the Government re-allocated the land to settlers who were prepared to pay a reasonable sum of money. Later, the term squatters referred to wealthy landowners and graziers, and it became a more respectable term.