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pre 1700
Aboriginal societies established over the entirety of Australia based on the quality of being fair, impartial and a general agreement with defined rights and responsibilities. -
1770
James Cook claims Australia for the British Empire off of the Cape York Peninsula and also claims the entire east coast of Australia. The British empire forcibly took the land which Aboriginals were using claiming it was unowned land. The belief was that all Indigenous Australians had no concept of law or ownership and have no rights to land. As a result, the British people put an end to all Indigenous rights and refused them British citizen rights. -
1804
Two years after the British people claim Tasmania, settlers become authorised to shoot Indigenous Australians. This is an example of the brutality and mindset white settlers had towards Aboriginal people at the time. -
1901
1st Jan
Federation. The six colonies come together and become the states of the Commonwealth of Australia. The Commonwealth Constitution states “in reckoning the numbers of people... Aboriginal natives shall not be counted.” It also states that the Commonwealth would legislate for any race except the Aboriginals. -
1903
Fanny Cochrane Smith, a Tasmanian Aboriginal women is recorded singing in her native tongue. This is the first and only recording of the Aboriginal language spoken in Tasmania which is an example of the cultural loss due to the fact that there is only one account of such a thing. -
1920
The population of Aboriginal Australians was estimated to have reached its lowest point at 60,000 - 70,000. The Aboriginals were widely believed to be a ‘dying race.’ Majority of Australian citizens have no contact with Aboriginal people due to separation and social convention. -
Period: to
1937
A Conference of Commonwealth and State Authorities is called by the federal government, it is decided that the official policy for some Aboriginal people is the assimilation policy. The policy stated that Aboriginal people of mixed descent (half castes) are to be assimilated into white society whether they want to or not. Those who are not living tribally are to be educated and all other Aboriginal people are to be kept on missions.
This is also known as the Stolen Generation. -
1962
Under the Commonwealth Electoral Act of 1962, Aboriginal Australians were given the rights to vote in Commonwealth elections.
Queensland was the last state to grant this right, they did this in 1965. -
1967
A Federal referendum was held. The referendum changed the laws which regarded Aboriginal people as Flora and Fauna and they were now recognised as citizens of Australia. -
2008
The Parliament of Australia apologises to the Stolen Generation. Kevin Rudd produces the famous ‘sorry’ speech to apologise to Aboriginal people who were taken away from their families in the events of the Stolen Generation from 1900 to the 1970’s , both the government and the opposition were very supportive of the apology