Aboriginal Rights

Topic: Australia as a Nation
Student activity
History: Year 6

This is the student activity 1 of 2 of the Actions for Aboriginal rights learning activity.

Task No. 1

The Referendum

Series 03: Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship subject files, 1956-1978

Use the below source to answer the following questions

  • Which organisation produced this poster?
  • Why did they produce the poster?
  • In which year was it used?
  • What injustice did this action claim to change?
Task No. 2

Aboriginal Tent Embassy

Aboriginal Tent Embassy, 26 January, 1972

Questions:

  • Why was the Aboriginal Tent Embassy set up?
  • Where was it set up?
  • When was it set up?
  • What injustice did this action aim to change?
Task No. 3

Apology

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, on the screen, in a live broadcast delivers his ‘Sorry’ speech to all Australians. This gathering of people, at Redfern Community Centre Redfern NSW, endured rainfall during the broadcast.

Extract from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's 'Apology to Australia's Indigenous People'.

I move,
That today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.
We reflect on their past mistreatment.
We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.
The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.
We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.
We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.
For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.....

Apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples

Questions:

  • Why did Prime Minister Kevin Rudd make this speech in Parliament?
  • When did he make this speech?
  • For what injustice was the Australian Government apologising?
Task No. 4

Day of Mourning

A blackboard displayed outside the hall proclaims, "Day of mourning"

Questions:

  • Why did these Aboriginal people declare a 'Day of Mourning'?
  • When did this take place?
  • What injustice did this action aim to change?
Task No. 5

Outcomes for Aboriginal people

Using the downloadable resource, sort each of the sources into chronological order.