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Aborigines claim citizen rights
On Australia day a meeting of Aboriginal people was held in Sydney. A document called 'aborignies claim citizen rights' was circulated. This declaration was the first time aboriginal people had made a national protest. -
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, theatres, bars, clubs and swimming pools. -
Gurundji people demand a 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 demand a better deal for first Australians
After a 90% "yes" vote the government gave Indigenous Australians 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 up. Bobby Sykes, Aboriginal activist. -
Land rights to be granted to first Australians
A government commission recommend 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 of arid and largely useless land. Other land claims were often thrown out by the courts. -
Eddie Mabos ends terra nullius
In the late 18th century Britain claimed the lands of Australia because they assumed nobody owned them. Some Torres Straight Islanders, led by Eddie Mabo, challenged this. Their people had inhabited Murray Islands for thousands of years so were the rightful owners. In 1992 the high court agreed saying that terra nullius was wrong and racist. So the native title act allowed indigenous Australians to claim land rights. -
Bringing them home
The stolen generation was one of Australia's worst secrets. Few white people knew about it and it didn't feature in the history books until the 1980's. In 1997 the Human Rights Commission report on this horror story made a number of recommendations. -
March across Sydney Harbour Bridge
250 000 people walk across the Sydney harbour bridge, marchers carried signs critical of the the Prime Minister for refusing to say sorry to indigenous Australians for past wrongs. -
Cathy Freeman
Indigenous Australian leaders are gaining greater respect and the marches in 2000 showed that Australians of all race 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.
