Indigenous Rights In Australia

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The campaigns for Indigenous rights in Australia have been quite effective from 1965 to 2014. Multiple campaigns have taken place in this time which all aimed to increase equality and rights for Indigenous Australians. The Freedom Ride of 1965, the 1967 Referendum, the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (1976), the Bringing Them Home report (1997) and the Closing the Gap campaign have all proved quite effective towards equality and rights for Indigenous Australians.
The 1965 Freedom Ride was a significant event for rights of Indigenous Australians. Charles Perkins was an important figure for the 1965 Freedom Ride. Perkins led the 1965 Freedom Ride and was the first Indigenous Australian to graduate from tertiary education . The Freedom Ride was a
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The referendum did not address a variety of issues needing urgent attention which included giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the right to vote, equal pay, citizenship rights and much more. It was also believed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were ‘dying out’ and hence, including them in the census would useless. Many individuals thought that Indigenous Australians were not intellectually worthy of a place in the political system and that beginning to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the census and in the political system would distort the number of seats in the House of Representatives allocated to each different state. However, the attitude of the public towards Aboriginal people did change. A large amount of support for Indigenous Australians had been gained. It seemed as if Aboriginal people were no longer regarded as lesser and could enjoy the same life as all other members of Australian society. The State Library of Victoria website discusses how the 1967 Referendum drew attention to the living standards of Aboriginal people within their own communities, funding for states with large Aboriginal populations was increased and allowed the government to include Indigenous Australians when determining the population of Australia. The 1967 referendum was effective in bringing changes towards the inclusion of Indigenous Australians and …show more content…
Traditional land and sea ownership was based on customary law for the Aboriginal people and property was passed down from generation to generation. Aboriginal landowners also wanted to ensure the spiritual and physical health of the land. Through this act, Aboriginal people could claim unalienated land if they could prove that they were the traditional owners of the land. The Aboriginal Land Rights Act (1976) addressed issues such as the negotiation of mining agreements on Aboriginal land, the application of laws for mining on Aboriginal land, funding of Land Councils through the Aboriginal Benefits Amount and much more. It also focused on minor provisions such as roads, entry onto Aboriginal land, the protection of sacred sites and the protection of traditional rights over the land for the Aboriginal people. It was also the first attempt by the Australian government to legally recognise the system of land ownership for Aboriginal people . The act was effective as it allowed Aboriginal people to retain and in some cases, re-establish, their cultural identity through their land. It also assisted in the creation of at least 2 Aboriginal Land Councils which help oversee certain areas of land in the Northern Territory. The Aboriginal Lands Right Act was a vital step in recognising Indigenous Australians as true owners of the