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The Yirrkala bark petition
The Yirrkala Bark petitions were sent to the Parliament by members of the clan groups living in the area of Yirrkala. This petition was written in both Yolngu Matha and English. It was presented on painted bark boards depicting country, the petitions protest the excision of land from the Reserve where they live, where they hunt and where their sites of significance are situated. -
The Wave Hill walk off
In August 1966 200 Australian stockmen and their families walked off the Wave Hill cattle station. They were striking for better working and pay conditions. They also demanded the return of their land. -
Gove land rights case
In 1968 the Nabalcomining lease on the Gove Peninsula was challenged by the Yolngu people. It was also challenged before but t this time in the supreme court of New South Wales. -
The Gove land rights case
In 1971 Justice Richard Blackburn ruled that the mining leases were valid and that the Yolngu people were not able to establish their native title at common law. Justice Blackburn used the notion of terra nullius to justify this ruling, stating that the “doctrine of communal native title does not form and never has formed, part of the law of any part of Australia”. -
The 1972 Aboriginal Tent Embassy
Aboriginal activists established the Aboriginal Tent Embassy on the lawns of parliament house on Australia Day 1972. This was because of the protest against the rejection of the land rights of the Yolngu people by the Supreme Court. Their camp attracted great support from people across the country. Their views were also made known to the government. A tent embassy has existed continuously in front of the Old Parliament House since that time, over 40 years. -
1976 Aboriginal Land Rights Act
After the failure of the Gove Lands Rights case, in 1972 the Whitlam Labor Government instigated an inquiry into Aboriginal land rights.
This was also known as the Woodward Commission. This eventually led to the passing of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act by the Fraser Liberal government in 1976. -
Wave Hill walk off ( the rightful return of land)
Lingiari was given back his land back after nearly a decade, by Prime Minister of Australia, Gough Whitlam in 1975.The rightful return of land. Vincent Lingiari and Gough Whitlam. -
1996 Wik Judgement
The Wik case was brought by the Wik people of Cape York in Queensland in 1993. They claimed that the native title was not extinguished by the granting of various pastoral and mining leases over the land. -
The Mabo Case
In May 1982, Eddie Mabo and four other Meriam people of the Murray Islands in the Torres Strait began action in the High Court. -
The Mabo Judgement
On the 3rd of June 1992, the High Court upheld the claim of the Meriam people. The high court ruled that the native title rights survived settlement, thereby overturning the legal doctrine of terra nullius for the first time in Australia law.