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The first Aborigines arrive from south-east Asia. By 20,000 BC they have spread throughout the mainland and Tasmania.
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Captain James Cook charts the east coast in his ship HM Endeavour. Cook claims it as a British possession and names eastern Australia "New South Wales".
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British Navy captain Arthur Phillip founds a penal settlement at Sydney. He had arrived with a fleet of 11 vessels, carrying nearly 800 convicts. The Aboriginal population at the time is thought to number several hundred thousand.
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Aborigines taken to captivity
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Malcolm Fraser becomes Prime Minister
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Bob Hawke becomes Prime Minister
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Paul Keating becomes Prime Minister
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John Howard becomes Prime Minister
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Julia Gillard becomes Prime Minister.
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Kevin Rudd becomes Prime Minister
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Tony Abbott becomes prime minister
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Malcolm Turnbull becomes Prime Minister
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Indigenous leaders from across the country reject a bid for recognition in the country's constitution, deciding instead to push for representation in parliament.
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Scott Morrison becomes Prime Minister.