"Many people take their rights and freedoms for granted. Others are denied these rights. Some have to fight for them. On a national level, people have demanded the right to self-government and an end to colonial rule; on a social level, groups have struggled to win civil rights or political and social equality. One of the key themes in recent history has been the battle for rights. In Australia too, people have had to fight for their rights and for social justice... Indigenous Australians have historically been discriminated against and still have a much lower standard of living than many other Australians."
(2012). History alive 10 for the Australian Curriculum. Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons Australia, pp.104-107.
Warning. This pathfinder may contain the names and images of Aboriginal and Islander people now deceased. It also contains links to sites that may use the name sand images of Aboriginal and Islander people now deceased.
The basic idea of human rights is that each one of us, no matter who we are or where we are born, is entitled to the same basic rights and freedoms. That may sound straightforward enough, but it gets incredibly complicated as soon as anyone tries to put the idea into practice.
Macquarie atlas of indigenous Australia
305.89915 MAC
Covers a wide range of aspects of Indigenous life, including: society, culture, economics, politics, education, health, land ownership and use and the environment.
Australia through time
994 AUS
A history of Australia (from 1868 - 2004) that presents, in chronological order, a comprehensive array of facts, newspaper articles, images, maps and charts. Excellent resource for primary sources.
Chronicle of Australia
994 CHR
A history of Australia (from 1787 - 2000) that presents, in chronological order, a comprehensive array of facts, newspaper articles, images, maps and charts. Excellent resource for primary sources.
The encyclopaedia of aboriginal Australia
994.0049919 ENC
A two volume encyclopaedia which contains the life stories and photographs of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who have made great contributions to their people and their country.
The Freedom Ride by Sue Lawson
Robbie knows bad things happen in Walgaree. But it's nothing to do with him. That's the way the Aborigines have always been treated. But in the summer of 1965 racial tensions in the town are at boiling point, and something headed Walgaree's way will blow things apart. It's time for Robbie to take a stand. And nothing can ever be the same again. A novel based on true events.
Say yes: a story of friendship, fairness and a vote for hope by Jennifer Castles and Paul Seden (illus)
Picture book.
From the cover: Once there were two little girls who were best friends. They did everything together. As they got older, they weren't allowed to do the same things anymore. Because they looked different. Because of the law. This is a story about the landmark 1967 Referendum, the two women who came together to change the law ... and how the Australian people said YES.
Use the Library Catalogue to find books (print, eBooks, audiobooks) and other useful resources.
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The library catalogue provides access to a wide range of resource types: print books, e-books and web sites. Use the following search terms to locate these resources:
Freedom ride for Aboriginal peoples
Wave Hill walk-off
Aboriginal peoples - Law and legislation
Aboriginal peoples - Self-determination
Australia. Native Title Act
Stolen generations
Reconciliation of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australia
Maralinga
Aboriginal deaths in custody
Mabo
Tent Embassy
Remember to also search using the name of important people such as:
Charles Perkins
Vincent Lingiari
The Aboriginal civil rights movement
This program highlights the loss of rights and paternalism, the tent embassy, black power, increasing sophistication and the reaction of authorities.
National Reconciliation Week: Teaching Resources & Activities : Mabo
These curriculum-aligned activity sets are designed to supplement resources from Britannica School and help teachers plan collaborative lessons or events around the important subject of reconciliation.
The Australian Dream education resources explore five themes, which we recommend studying in the following order: (1) Introducing Adam Goodes (2) Cultural identity (3) History and truths (4) Racism (5) Resilience and reconciliation.
Collaborating for Indigenous Rights 1957–1973
The fifteen years from the late 1950s to the early 1970s was a time of unusual collaboration between black and white activists in Australia. Alliances were formed between Aboriginal Australians motivated to help their people and white Australians wanting to redress the injustices suffered by dispossessed peoples in the building of the Australian state. Covers most of the set topics.
Freedom Riders Ann Curthoys and Brian Aarons reflect on NSW Ride 50 years on
In 1965, a group of student activists confronted racism in regional New South Wales in what's become known as the Freedom Ride. Two of those original Freedom Riders reflect on this experience. Included is audio of Charles Perkins and one of the activists speaking about the Ride.
Charles Perkins - Freedom Ride
The National Film and Sound Archive presents a video clip about Charles Perkins' involvement in the Freedom Ride.
Commemorating the Freedom Ride
Read historic accounts of the Freedom Ride of 1965 from original diary entries from one of the participants, as well as news articles of the time, and view a map of the route.
What was Australia's Freedom Ride?
Created By SBS Learn, this site Includes photos, interviews with participants reflecting on the Ride and original film footage. There is also a list of other recommended pages.
The National Archives of Australia provides this fact sheet about the Wave Hill 'walk-off', and the struggle for Aboriginal rights led by Vincent Lingiari, Gurindji elder. Many of the original documents can be viewed online by clicking on ‘view digital copy’.
Topics: Meetings and decisions; The move to Daguragu; A petition to the Governor-General; Supporting the strikers; The hand back. In 1967 after hearing Minister for the Interior Peter Nixon's plan to dismiss the Gurindji claim to their land, Ted Egan wrote 'Gurindji Blues'. A singer/songwriter who had a long association with Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, Egan listened to the Gurindji people and recorded their views about land in the song. Listen to the song or read the transcript of the lyrics.
Gurindji strike - The Wave Hill walk-off - 80 Days That Changed Our Lives - ABC Archives
In 1968, the ABC's This Day Tonight visited Wave Hill station and Wattie Creek where the striking Gurindji had set up camp. Reporter Peter Luck interviewed the Gurindji strikers, including the softly-spoken Vincent Lingiari. Also interviewed is the manager of Wave Hill station, who overlooks a track record dating back tens of thousands of years when he expresses doubt that 'the native could handle land if he were given it.'
Timeline of the station walk-off and Gurindji land handback.
Three different 'How to Vote' cards from the 1967 Referendum. Courtesy of the Australian Labor Party, the Democratic Labor Party, and the Liberal Party of Australia. From the State Library of Victoria's Riley and Ephemera Collection.
The Referendum Australia Had to Have
Learn about what compelled the nation to make constitutional change in the 1967 Referendum
Righting wrongs in the 1967 referendum
This collection delves into the records of the referendum, changes to the Constitution and the background story.
Civil rights activist Faith Bandler describes a long and well-organised struggle for the referendum and the reasons for it. Find out what percentage of Australians voted to alter the Constitution so that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would be included in the census and embraced by Commonwealth Government legislation.
Australian Bureau of Statistics, The Aborigines referendum 1967, 2004
Gary Williams remembers the 1967 referendum. In 1967, Australians voted to include Aborigines and Torres Straits Islanders on the national census. Gary Williams remembers what it meant to a 21-year-old Aborigine living in Sydney.
Rabbit Proof Fence – unwanted third race. Extract from the film Rabbit Proof Fence: speech about breeding out aboriginal people
Before the Referendum: Margaret Valadian speaks up
A week before the referendum, Margaret Valadian, a prominent Aboriginal Australian, provides her perspective on life in Australia.
The National Archives of Australia provides information about the 1967 referendum. Many of the original documents can be viewed online by clicking on ‘view digital copy’.
Overview and video footage of the tests.
Chapter 16: A toxic legacy : British nuclear weapons testing in Australia
Sets the historical context as well as explaining why Australian allowed this to happen.
Backgrounder: Why was Maralinga used for secret nuclear tests?
Indigenous landowners have finally been given back their homelands at Maralinga, which was used by Britain to test atomic bombs in the 1950s. But why did Britain use Australian land for nuclear tests in the first place?
A detailed resource, rich with information, photos and videos
Original clips of three of the four nuclear fission bombs tested at Maralinga between September and October 1956.
Backs to the Blast, an Australian Nuclear Story
In the mid-1950s above ground atomic tests are carried out in South Australia. The bomb is dropped by aircraft and the blast is seen. Various people recall the tests including RAAF driver Ric Johnston, RAAF wireless operator Eric Geddes, an unidentified man and an unidentified Aboriginal woman.
In the 1950's Australia was the location for the testing of British nuclear weapons. Here two survivors, Yami Lester and Avon Hudson remember the tests. Yami was a young man living with his community in the desert and Avon was an Australian serviceman seconded to the program. Also includes original footage of the tests.
The Human Rights Commisssion Report into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
This Report uses findings of coronial inquests as a means of auditing the implementation of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Australian Institute of Criminology Indigenous Justice
This site has many useful links about Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Aboriginal deaths in custody numbers rise sharply over past five years
ABC News report on an AIC study as well as the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
This is the website for the film: The tall man which tells the story of the trial, of the complex Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley, and of the Doomadgee family as they struggle to understand what happened to their brother. Some of the videos are no longer active.
The book, The tall man: death and life on Palm Island by Chloe Hooper is available in the library (364.349915 HOO)
Links to summaries of: relevant statistics, the Royal Commission and its recommendations, community impact, government action/inaction and case studies.
Australian Bureau of Statistics - deaths in custody
Details of relevant statistics from 1990 – 2008.
Black Deaths in Custody - Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Links to numerous news reports.
Aboriginal deaths in custody: 25 years on, the vicious cycle remains
The Guardian news report 15 April, 2016 provides more recent information.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-38345015
'Ms Dhu' inquest: Aboriginal woman's treatment 'inhumane'
Mabo-the native title revolution
Delves into the Mabo legal case and the important issues it raises for Australians and indigenous peoples everywhere. It gives an overview of the case and provides an insight into both the man at its centre, Eddie "Koiki" Mabo, and Torres Strait Islander culture.
Eddie Mabo and others v the state of Queensland
High Court of Australia, Full Bench 3 June 1992. Casenote by Bryan Keon-Cohen
The Aboriginal Land Rights Act
The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 was the first attempt by an Australian government to legally recognise the Aboriginal system of land ownership and put into law the concept of inalienable freehold title. The Land Rights Act is a fundamental piece of social reform.
The Aurora project - What is Native Title?
This website .provides a definition of Native Title and background information.
On the 3rd of June, 1992, after a decade of litigation, the High Court ruled that the land title of the Indigenous Peoples, the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, is recognised at common law.
A guide to Australia’s Stolen Generations. Read why Aboriginal children were stolen from their families, where they were taken and what happened to them.
Apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples
Watch Kevin Rudd deliver the Apology.
Bringing them home: the 'stolen children' report
1997 government report of the national inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s.
Stolen Generations' testimonies
Written testimonies.
Stolen Generations, effects and consequences
Removal from their families has far-reaching consequences for children of the Stolen Generations. All aspects of their lives are affected.
Collaborating for Indigenous Rights 1957–1973
The Fights for Civil Rights. Detailed information. Includes primary sources.
About constitutional recognition
The Australian Human Right Commission explains the importance of the Constitution and the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution.
Indigenous campaign builds against constitutional recognition
The Indigenous community is split over a campaign to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution.
Explainer: what Indigenous constitutional recognition means
So what does the Constitution say about race? How do we change it? And what are some of the proposals for what the Constitution might say in future, particularly when it comes to recognising Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander people as the First Australians?
Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal people
Recognition basics. Recognition in state and territory constitutions. National constitutional recognition. Why do Aboriginal people reject constitutional recognition? Should self-determination be included in the Constitution?
Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Canberra
Overview of the Tent Embassy: what led to its creation, why was it called an embassy, what happened.
Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Canberra
A brief travel documentary about Canberra which focuses on the Tent Embassy and includes and interview with Darren Bloomfield, the appointed keeper of the Sacred fire.
Aboriginal Embassy 20th July 1972
TV news report of Police destruction of Aboriginal Embassy 20th July 1972
The history of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
1972 video of the Tent Embassy being dismantled. Comparisons are made to events in Louisiana and Mississippi in USA.
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