-
'Bringing them home'
The stolen generation was one of Australias worst secrets. Few white people knew about it and it didnt feature in the history books until the 1980s. In 1997 the Human Rights Commission report on this horror made a number of recommendations -
Aboriginies Claim Citizen Rights
The 26th of January is not a day of rejoicing for Australia's Aboriginies; it is a day of mourning. This festival of 150 years of so-called 'progress' in Australia commemorates also 150 years of misery and degradation by the white invaders of Australia. You came here only recently and you took our land away from us by force. You have almost exterminated our people... -
Freedom Riders demand equal treatment
A group led by Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins made a bus tour through New South Wales. They protested about discrimination in shops, thretres, bars, clubs and swimming pools -
Gurindji people demand better deal
200 workers walked off the Wave Hill cattle station in the Northern Territory. They wanted better wages and conditions, and their traditional lands back. The Gurindji eventually gained ownership of the area in 1985 -
White voters a better deal for the Austrailians
After a 90% 'yes' vote the government Indigneous Austrailians the right to vote and be counted in censuses, and ended the protection policies. -
Aboriginal tent embassy set up in Canberra
The Embassy said that blacks were now going to get up and fight back on the issues of education, health, police victimisation, locking people up. Bobby Sykes, Aboriginal activist -
Land rights to be granted to first Austrailians
A government commision recommended that Aboriginals should get back the land where they now lived and had traditionally lived -
First Aboriginal Land Rights Act
However this Northern Territory law only gave the indigenous people some areas od arid an largely useless land. Other land claims were often thrown out by the courts -
Eddie Mabo ends terra nullius
In the late 18th century Britian claimed the ands of Australia because they assumed nobody owned them. Some Torres Straight Islanders, led by Eddie Mabo, challenged this. Their people had inhabited Murray Island for thousands of years and so were the rightful owners. In 1992 the High Court agreed saying that terra nullius was wrong and racist. So the 19993 NATIVE TITLE ACT allowed Indigineous Australians to claim land rights -
Cathy Freeman
Indigneous Australian leaders are gaining greater respect and the marches in 2000 showed that Australians of all races want the first people to get a better deal. Some are national heroes and there was great pride when Cathy Freeman lit the torch at the Sydney Olympics and won the 400 metres. There are still many problems to solve but hope remains -
The Bulletin Extract
In May 2000 250 000 people walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge and up to 400 000 marched in Melbourne in December. Many marchers carried signs and banners critical of the Prime Ministers refusal to say 'sorry' to indeginous Austrailians for past wrongs