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The First Fleet arrive in Australia
The First Fleet lands in Port Jackson, Australia and establishes the English penal colony of New South Wales – the first European settlement in Australia -
Birth of Yagan
Yagan was an Aboriginal Australian who was a warrior, notable for playing a key part in the resistance to colonial settlement in the Frontier Wars, a series of conflicts between the Indigenous Australians and the British colonisers. -
Death of Yagan
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Establishment of the Aboriginal Protection Board
Before the Federation, Aboriginal Protection Boards were established in colonies of Australia in order to 'manage' the Indigenous population of Australia. After the Federation, the core work of these boards was to forcibly remove Aboriginal children from their families and the Commonwealth took no responsibility for their wellbeing. -
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Protection
Based on when the Aborigines Protection Board was established in 1869 and when the Aborigines Protection Act was repealed in 1969. -
Stolen Generations
The Stolen Generations were the Aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families. It was believed that if Aboriginal children could be brought up in a 'white' community, they would overcome their Aboriginal blood and let the 'white' attributes shine through. The removal of children broke important cultural, spiritual and family ties and has left a lasting and intergenerational impact on the lives and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. -
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Segregation
Segregation was widely practised across the states and territories of Australia, for the first 30 years after the Federation. This practice continued until the 1960s. -
Birth of Jack Patten
Jack Patten was an Aboriginal civil rights activist. He was one of the great Aboriginal leaders of the 20th century and set the agenda for the civil rights movement in Australia. Patten, with his political partner William Ferguson, founded the Aborigines Progressive Association in 1937 and also worked with the Australian Aborigines League in Victoria to organise the first Day of Mourning protests. -
Birth of Eddie Mabo
Eddie Mabo was an Aboriginal Australian from the Torres Strait Islands who was best known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights in Australia. His advocacy led to the Mabo v Queensland case, in which the High Court ruled in favour of Mabo. -
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Assimilation Policy
In 1937, the Commonwealth and States agreed that the process of assimilation should be adopted, and lasted until 1962. -
The Day of Mourning Protests
The Day of Mourning was a protest held by Aboriginal Australians on 26 January 1938. It is remembered one as it was the first mass Aboriginal civil rights gathering and the most historically significant events in the struggle for Aboriginal civil rights. It also led the way to subsequent Days of Mourning, which have been held on Australia Day ever since. -
Death of Jack Patten
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The Wave Hill Walk Off
The Wave Hill Walk Off strike by the Gurindji people was a result of the British Vestey Company refusing to pay them their wages of $25 per week. This event was significant because it highlighted the discrimination that existed in Australian society and it also brought attention to the issue of land rights. -
The 1967 Referendum
The 1967 Referendum sought to change the fact that Aboriginal Australians were not counted in the Australian census (in fact, they were included as 'flora and fauna') and to allow for the federal government to legislate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This meant that the national government could make laws in respect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that could assist in addressing inequalities. -
Racial Discrimination Act 1975
The Australian Parliament passes the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, making racial discrimination unlawful in certain contexts. -
The returning of land to the Gurindji People.
The Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976 granted the Gurindji and other Aboriginal groups in the Northern Territory title to some of their traditional lands. It was the beginning of land rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. -
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Full Equality and Freedom
The Equal Opportunity Act was passed in Australia on 20 December 1984. -
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Reconciliation
Reconciliation in Australia is a process that officially started in 1991 and continues to this day as the disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous are still prevalent. -
The 1992 Mabo Decision
In June 1992, a group of Torres Strait Islander people led by activist Eddie Mabo won a land rights case in the High Court of Australia. The Mabo decision was significant because it acknowledged the traditional rights of Indigenous people to their land and waters and paved the way for native title in Australia. Also during this time, the High Court overturns Terra Nullius and the Prime Minister, Paul Keating, gave his 'Redfern Park' speech about the Stolen Generations. -
Death of Eddie Mabo
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First National Sorry Day 1998
The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998 and continues to be commemorated to this day. The event remembers the mistreatments of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as part of a reconciliation process between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. -
Formal Apology to the Stolen Generations
In 2008, the new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, apologised to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for poor treatment from the time of European settlement through to recent years. As part of the apology, Rudd made a promise that he would close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in life expectancy, educational achievement and employment opportunities.