Indigenous Rights In Austalia

By Twinki
  • Period: to

    Indigenous Rights

  • Day of Mourning

    William Ferguson and Jack Patten was joined by William Cooper to plan a day of mourning. It is known as the 'Anniversary of the whitesmen's seizure of our country'. They protest against 'the callous treatment of our people by the whitemen' and called for education, new laws and citizenship status for Aboriginal Australians.

  • Mabo Case

    Eddie Mabo along with four other Meriam people went up against the High Court of Australia seeking confirmation of their land rights. On 3 June 1992 the High Court rulled in favour of Mabo and the Native Title Act of 1993 was, in part, in response to this decision.

  • Bark Petition

    Many petitions were sent to the Commonwealth Parliament over the March reductions of the Yolngu peoples land. The government had taken 300 square kilometres of land for the mining of bauxite.

  • Freedom Rides

    On February 12th 1965, a group of university students from Sydney organised a bus tour of western towns in New South Wales. The students arranged to draw the publics attention to the underprivilleged condition of the Aboriginal Health, education and housing. The students hoped to identify and help to lessen the socially discriminatory barriers which existed between Aboriginal and White residents.

  • 1967 Referendum

    The 1967 Referendum had delivered administrative responsibillity for Aboriginal people to the Commonwealth, but many felt that there still needed to be acknowledgement of traditional ownership.

  • Aboriginal Tent Embassy

    Late on Australia Day 1972, four young Aboriginal men erected a beach umbrella on the lawns outside Parliament House in Canberra and put up a sign which read 'Aboriginal Embassy' before Whitlam's election, where it has remained in order to keep the Issue of Aboriginal rights in the public eye.

  • The Wik Case

    The Wik people went to court against the State of Queensland over the leases on their land. The decision on whether statutory leases extinguish native title rights was given by the High Court on the 23 December 1996 and was in favour of the Wik people.

  • The Native Title Amendment Act

    This law was created in response to the 1996 Wik Decision, by the High Court, by John Howard. It was created to make limits and restrictions to native title claims.