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INDIGENOUS 'STOLEN GENERATIONS': Aboriginal rights

480 Mabo: Invasion (History & Land rights)

480 Mabo: Invasion

In 1788 Britain legally claimed Australia to be terra nullius - a law whereby Indigenous Australians could not sell or assign land. The move dispossessed hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of their land, culture and spiritual connections. It also sparked a battle that would continue through generations and shape what Australia is today.

SOURCE: ABC1 (2012), posted on YouTube, Rated G, [8:36 mins] URL: https://clickv.ie/w/9lWq

Segregation, Assimilation, Integration

"The history of Aboriginal dispossession is central to understanding contemporary Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal relations." Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody

The history of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal relations, while complex, has had the following phases:

  • The 60,000+ years before the arrival of Europeans
  • Initial invasion and colonisation (1788 to 1890)
  • Protection and segregation (1890s to the 1950s)
  • Assimilation (1940s to the 1960s)
  • Integration, self-determination and self-management (1967 to mid 1990s)
  • Reconciliation (1991 to the present  

Source: "Working with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders and their Communities" 

Our Generation [Documentary]

The original version of the ground-breaking Indigenous rights documentary "Our Generation." Winner "Best Campaign Film" at London International Documentary Festival 2011. For more information, visit: www.ourgeneration.org.au

SOURCE: Our Generation Media (2012), posted on YouTube, [1:13:42 mins], URL: https://youtu.be/Tcq4oGL0wlI

Christian Missions

Colonisation was not only about taking land and resources for imperial powers, but also about seeking to convert, or ‘civilise’, indigenous people to European ways of thinking. This video explores the impact of Christian missions on the culture and daily lives of Indigenous Australians, featuring commentary from academics from the Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples. An informative, curriculum-aligned video for middle secondary students of History.

LAW - Aborigines Act

"It is absolutely necessary that an Aborigines Act should come into force, for the protection of whites as well as blacks.'
Letter from the Police Inspector's Office, Palmerston to the Commissioner of Police, Adelaide, National Archives of Australia, A1/15, 1911/1882

The White Australia Policy [Select image to read more]

Legislation affecting Indigenous Australians