Subjects
Subscribe
Search Skwirk
Year 9 NSW
»
History
»
Changing rights and freedoms: Aboriginal people
»
Self-determination
Topic : Self-determination
In this topic you will learn...
Chapter 1 :
The struggle for rights and freedoms
The Indigenous peoples now began to pursue a policy of peaceful protest
This was done through activist groups and demonstrations
Australia Day 1938 was declared a 'Day of Mourning' by the Aboriginal community
Over 1000 Aboriginal people protested at the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of 1788
Indigenous leaders wrote up a manifesto called 'Aborigines Claim Citizenship Rights'
Tbroughout the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s there were many strikes by Indigenous workers
The land rights campaign took off in the 1960s and grew throughout the 1970s
In 1965, the Freedom Rides began in New South Wales
Led by Charles Perkins, they high-lighted the extent of segregation in rural towns
Equal pay for Indigenous workers was finally granted in 1965
Chapter 2 :
Land rights: the beginning
In 1788 the British declared Australia to be terra nullius - land belonging to no one
Legally this meant that no one lived there and therefore could not claim land rights
In August 1966, the Wave Hill strike began in the Northern Territory
The Gurindji people would no longer accept the low wages and terrible housing on the station
The Gurindji people walked off the station and set up camp at a nearby creek
By the next year their strike had developed into a land rights campaign
They eventually won their fight for land rights in 1975
On 26 January 1926 the Aboriginal Tent Embassy appeared outside parliament house in Canberra
The Tent Embassy helped focus attention on the land rights issue
The Aboriginal Flag made its international debut over the Tent Embassy in 1972
Chapter 3 :
Gains from the protest movement
By 1972 many gains had been made from the Indigenous protest movement
In 1961 it was announced that Aboriginal people had achieved citizenship
From 1962 Indigenous peoples could vote in Commonwealth elections
The 1967 Referendum meant Indigenous people would be counted in the Census
Aboriginal workers were granted equal pay as their white counterparts in 1965
There was some recognition of land rights during the 1960s
The Freedom Riders helped bring an end to discrimination and segregation in rural towns
The Stolen Generations policy came to an end in the late 1960s, early 1970s
The assimilation policy came to an and
Self-determination was one of the biggest gains made by the protest movement
Chapter 4 :
The 1967 referendum
Until 1967 the federal government could not make laws relating to Indigenous Australians
Section 51 paragraph xxvi of the Constitution prevented it
Meanwhile Section 127 prevented Aboriginal people from being counted in the census
In order to change the constitution there must be a referendum of Australian people
This would give the commonwealth the power to make laws for indigenous people
On May 27 1967 the Commonwealth government held the referendum
When 91 percent of Australians voted 'yes' it was a landmark moment
The constitutional change gave the government shared power with the States
The Commonwealth government now had the power to change, but change was slow to come
Chapter 5 :
Self-determination
In the late 1960s the assimilation and integration policies were slowly dying out
The age of paternalism finally came to an end
A new attitude to Indigenous rights was adopted by successive federal governments
A new policy of self-determination was introduced
Self-determination meant that Aboriginal people would now have more say in their affairs
It was a major step towards Aboriginal people having the same rights as white Australians
The new federal Labour government was instituting a major period of change in Australia
The influx of refugees from Asia meant that assimilation was no longer feasible
It was recognised that a multicultural society was much more beneficial for Australia
Instead of destroying Indigenous culture the government encouraged people to accept it
Topic Summary
Audio Summary
Play
|
Download
Text Summary
This topic includes
11 colour images
3 flash animations
1 final exam
ToolBox
Increase text size
Print this page
EMPTY?