Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
To mark the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the British, The Aborigines Progressive Associ-
ation held a meeting in the Australia Hall at 150 Elizabeth St, Sydney, called 'A Day of Mourning
and Protest'. The meeting was one of the first known civil rights meetings.
15 Aug 1963
A bark petition was presented to the House of Representatives from the people of Yirrikala in
the Northern Territory. Written in their own language on a length of stringy bark, the petition
objected to mining on their land, which the federal government had approved without consult-
ing the people who lived there.
27 May 1967
A federal referendum allowed the Commonwealth to make laws on Aboriginal issues and in-
clude them in the census. They would now have the same rights as other Australians.
12 Jul 1971
The Aboriginal flag first flew on National Aborigines Day in Adelaide. Designed by Central Aus-
tralian man, Harold Thomas, the flag has become a unifying symbol of identity for Aboriginal
people.
26 Jan 1972
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy was set up on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra to op-
pose the treatment of Aboriginal people and the government's recent rejection of a proposal for
Aboriginal Land Rights.
10 Aug 1987
A Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody investigated the high number of Abori-
ginal deaths in gaols. Aboriginal people are still over represented in the criminal system.
26 Jan 1988
As Australia celebrated its bicentenary, more than 40,000 Aboriginal people and their support-
ers marched in Sydney to mark the 200-year anniversary of invasion.
3 Jun 1992
The previous legal concept of terra nulliuswas overturned by the Australian High Court in its
landmark decision in the Mabo Case, declaring Australia was occupied before British settle-
ment.
28 May 2000
