Political Gains
Citizenship - Citizenship means being a member of a political community, like a country, with all the rights to participate politically in that community. The Indigenous population of Australia had never been recognised as citizens of Australia - they were outside the 'political community' and therefore had no say in how the community was run. Some Aboriginal people had been able to become Australian citizens since the end of the Second World War, but it meant getting an 'exemption certificate' that said they were no longer Aboriginal. This was not acceptable to the majority of Aboriginal people and very few of them ever signed up to the exemption scheme. However by 1960 various pieces of legislation in all the States that stopped Aboriginal people being citizens were abolished, and in 1961 the Minister for Territories, Paul Hasluck, announced in Parliament that Aboriginal citizenship had been achieved.
Voting Rights - Like Citizenship, voting rights had been available to some Aboriginal people in some States before the 1960s, but many Aboriginal people were unaware of those rights and did not exercise them. In 1962 the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Cth) was amended so that all Indigenous people could vote in Commonwealth elections. In the next three years legislation was also passed in the States that did not already provide equal voting rights for Aboriginal people. Voting was not immediately made compulsory for Aboriginal people, but after they voted once, they then came under the same voting laws as all other Australians.
The 1967 Referendum - Many people believe that citizenship and voting rights were given to Aboriginal people by the 1967 Referendum, but that is not true. The referendum changed the constitution so that the Indigenous people could be counted in the census. The constitutional change also allowed the Commonwealth government to make laws for Indigenous peoples. The 1967 referendum was a big moment in Indigenous Australia's history because 90 per cent of the 'white' population voted in favour of legislation that was for Aboriginal people. This showed there had been a positive shift in the white attitude towards the Indigenous population.
Economic Gains
Recognition of equal pay - With the backing of the trade unions and by using strike action,Indigenous workers were granted equal pay as their white counterparts in 1965. However there was a delay in implementing the new policy and it did not really come into effect until 1968. By that stage more strike action had taken place. The Wave Hill strike of 1966 is an example of this.
Recognition of land rights - Although the Yirrkala people had lost their case against the company that was mining on their land, the High Court Judge did recognise that they had a traditional connection with the land that went back many thousands of years. The judge also said, however, that their ownership of the land had ended when English law was established in 1788 and the land was declared 'Terra Nullius'. The fact that the judgement recognised the Yirrkala prior ownership of the land meant that future cases could be fought on this basis.
They became eligible for government benefits - Like with many of the rights that became available to Aboriginal people, being eligible for government benefits like pensions or child benefits changed from State to State and over the years. Before 1959 some Aboriginal people could claim government money, but only if they were 'assimilated' and living in a
an extremely significant impact on Australian Aboriginals. It represented an end to discrimination and the beginning of equal citizenship. The overpowering ‘Yes’ vote also showed that white Australians wanted social and political modification, and expected the Federal Government to do so. The referendum addressed the change to two sections of the constitution, 51 (xxvi) and 127, to remove certain words discriminating against the peoples of the Aboriginal race and another constitutional change which…
Aboriginals NOTES Protectionism - a separation policy/law passed in 1897 (The Aboriginal Protection and Prevention of the Sale of Opium Act) that isolated full-blooded Aboriginals from white people, their culture and lifestyle. They were placed in special reserves with inexperienced managers. Aboriginals had no right to receive a basic wage, get a pension or even vote. Assimilation - a 1950s policy that stated that “… all Aborigines and part-Aborigines are expected eventually to live as members…
he believed that Indigenous input into society was vital in making Australia a stronger nation, and that it was time for Aboriginals to be given the respect they deserve. Whitlam made many changes in order to fulfill all his promises made to the Aboriginals; Whitlam started off by constructing the “National Aboriginal Consultative Council” which consisted of 40 members who were to advise the Aboriginal Affairs minister, by doing this is gave Aboriginals the right to vote in an election, although only small this change was the first…
Honour of the Crown Review Aboriginals, often regarded as a pestilence to the well-being of the state due to the exposure that the public gets from the media, were the original inhabitants of this land. Before the European conquest of what we now know as North America, the land had belonged to the first nations (or as some say, "natives"). Their territory stretched far across the landscape, and they adapted to the terrain in all aspects of life. However, once the Europeans stepped onto…
From the time of Federation in 1901 to the late 1950’s saw aboriginal people denied basic rights and freedoms. The first half of the 20th century seen aboriginals treated differently to other Australians. Laws differed from state to state giving the government control over many aspects of aboriginal life including work, travel and even where they could live. The 1960’s became the most important era for aboriginal people. Aboriginals became active raising awareness of their unfair status, reducing…
( extreme white policy) Edward Gough Whitlam finish the white policy Kevin Michael Rudd The apologize for stolen genration. Abbott has an active interest in Indigenous Affairs.[159] As Opposition Leader, Abbott promised to prioritise indigenous affairs, saying: "There will be, in effect, a prime minister for Aboriginal affairs".[159] As Prime Minister, Abbott reformed the administration of the portfolio, moving it into the Department of Prime Minister.[160] Aborigines As Health Minister, Abbott…
12th February 1965, he and fellow student Jim Spigelman led 28 other on a tour known as the freedom ride. Charles Perkins believed, ”That degree was going to help me... to take a position in aboriginal affairs...and to attack racism and disadvantaged position of Aboriginal people...and inequalities that Aboriginal people face...” [1] As seen Perkins motive from the beginning of the campaign was to take action and publicise the issue of blatant discrimination. Charles Perkins and his associates within…
references to Aboriginal people and both of these references were aimed at excluding them from participation in the life of the new nation. * Section 127 of the Constitution said that ‘in reckoning the number of the people in the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives shall not be counted’. Aboriginal people were not to be counted in the census. * Section 51 of the Constitution gave the federal government the power to pass laws about ‘the people of any race other than the aboriginal race in any…
INDIPENDENCE: The Chanak Crisis, also called the Chanak Affair and a war scare in September 1922 between Britain and Turkey. It was caused by Turkish efforts pustoh the Greeks out of Turkey, with a threat against British and French troops stationed near (Chanak) to guard the Dardanelles neutral zone. The Halibut Treaty was a 1923 Canadian–American agreement concerning fishing rights in the northern Pacific Ocean. The King–Byng Affair was a Canadian constitutional crisis that occurred in 1926…
Canada attended residential schools. Aboriginal children across the country were stripped from their families and communities, and they were forced to attend these schools. At residential schools, children experienced a trauma which included emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. These abuses were just some consequences for speaking their indigenous language. The mandatory attendance of First Nations children in residential schools led to a major loss of Aboriginal languages in Canada, and this loss…