40th anniversary of 1967 Referendum

2000-2009

40th anniversary of 1967 Referendum

Australians celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum which gave Aboriginal people the right to vote, participate in the Australian democratic process, be included in the national census and have the same rights as other Australians. It also gave

Alan Jones in breach

The Australian Communications and Media Authority finds the Sydney radio station 2GB and its breakfast host Alan Jones in breach of the commercial radio code for broadcasting material that was likely to encourage violence, in the lead-up to the Cronulla

Close the gap campaign launch

Past Olympians, Catherine Freeman and Ian Thorpe support the launch of the Close The Gap campaign which calls on federal, state and territory governments to commit to closing the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation.

Native title recognition

The Gunditjmara people secure recognition of their native title rights and interests, giving them non-exclusive native title rights and interests to over 140,000 hectares of vacant Crown land, National Parks, reserves, rivers, creeks and sea north -west of Warrnambool, extending

Joint partnerships

The Githabul people of northern NSW secure Indigenous Land Use Agreements for land that includes nine National Parks and 13 State forests.

Tasmanian Parliament passes Aboriginal Children Act.

The Stolen Generations of Aboriginal Children Act 2006 is passed unanimously by the Tasmanian Government, the first Australian jurisdiction to introduce legislation to address the stolen generations issue. The Act establishes a fund to provide payments to members of the stolen generations

Burmese asylum seekers sent to Nauru

Eight Burmese asylum seekers arrive on Ashmore Reef. As part of the Federal Government’s ‘Pacific Solution’ they are sent to Nauru to have their claims processed. This contradicts the recent withdrawal of the Asylum seeker offshore processing bill.

Migration Amendment Bill

The controversial Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill 2006 is withdrawn. This bill aimed to send all asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat, not just those arriving on remote islands off Australia’s northern coast, to Nauru for refugee processing.

Inquiry into Aboriginal Children and Sexual Abuse

The Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse in the Northern Territory is established. Co – chaired by Ms Patricia Anderson and Rex Wild QC the inquiry will research and report on allegations of sexual

‘Healthy for Life’ programs increased

Indigenous health services are boosted by 53 ‘Healthy for Life’ sites around Australia. The sites include a variety of primary health care services to help address the high rates of heart and circulatory diseases, eye problems, asthma and diabetes prevalent