The history of Indigenous Australian Aboriginals is long and complex. To fully understand the current situation of Indigenous peoples in Australia, it is important to have a firm grasp of the major events that have shaped their lives over the centuries.
In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the most important milestone events in the history of Aboriginals in Australia, including the 1967 Referendum.
- 1942: The Aboriginal Provisional Government is formed to fight for the rights of Aboriginal people.
- 1967 Referendum: On May 27, 1967, Australians went to the polls to vote on a constitutional amendment that would give the federal government power to make laws specifically for Aboriginal people and include them in the census. The referendum was passed by an overwhelming majority, with more than 90% of Australians voting “yes”. This event was a major turning point in the history of Aboriginal rights in Australia.
- 1971: The Aboriginal flag is designed and flown for the first time.
- 1975 Racial Discrimination Act: This act made it illegal to discriminate against someone based on their race, colour, or ethnic origin. The act was passed in response to growing public pressure to do something about the discrimination that Aboriginal people faced on a daily basis.
- 1992 High Court Mabo Decision: The High Court of Australia handed down a decision in favour of Eddie Mabo, an Aboriginal man who had filed a land claim based on his traditional ownership of Murray Island (in the Torres Strait). The decision recognised Aboriginal land rights for the first time and had far-reaching consequences for Aboriginal people across Australia.
- 2008 Apology to the Stolen Generations: On February 13, 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a formal apology to the Stolen Generations – the Aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families by government agencies and church missions from 1869 to 1969. The apology was an important step in healing the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
These are just some of the milestone events that have shaped the history of Indigenous First Nations People
By understanding these events, we can begin to understand the complex issues that Aboriginal people still face to this day. Indigenous Australians currently make up around 3.8% of the population and are an important part of Australian culture – we hope that this brief history has given you a better understanding of the indigenous people of Australia and their significant place in history.