Adam Giles is sworn in as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory on 14 March, becoming the first Indigenous head of government of an Australian

WA politician Ernie Bridge, first Indigenous Australian to serve in an Australian Government Cabinet, dies. Mr Bridge was a descendant of First Fleet convict Matthew

With support from across Parliament the House of Representatives passes the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition (in the Australian Constitution) Bill 2012. The Bill includes a statement

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) commences the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health survey which will improve knowledge of the health issues affecting

In November the Australian Government recommences transferring asylum seekers to Manus Island in Papua New Guinea (PNG). These transferees’ claims for protection will be processed

The Commonwealth Attorney-General appoints Emeritus Professor Gillian Triggs to the Australian Human Rights Commission as its President. Professor Triggs hopes to focus her Presidency on

In September 2012 the Australian Government re-commences transferring asylum seekers who have arrived in Australia by boat to Nauru. These transferees’ claims for protection will

The Multicultural Youth Sports Partnership (MYSP) program is an initiative of the Australian Government and forms a key part of Australia’s multicultural policy. The objective

In February 2011, the government launched The People of Australia – Australia’s Multicultural Policy. One of the policy’s key initiatives is to provide funding for Multicultural

The Prime Minister launches the Australian Multicultural Council. The AMC’s priorities are to advise the government on multicultural affairs, have a formal role in a

The Report of the Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers is released. The panel makes 22 recommendations to shape Australian policy making on asylum seeker issues. It is

To support the Australian Government’s new multicultural policy, The People of Australia, the National Anti-Racism Strategy is launched. The Strategy, which will be implemented between 2012 and 2015,

The Stronger Futures policy, a multifaceted social policy of the Australian government concerning the aboriginal population of the Northern Territory is passed by the Senate. The policy

The Prime Minister invites the former chief of Australia’s defence force to lead an expert panel to report on the best way forward for Australia

From late 2001 to June this year, 964 asylum seekers and crew have been lost at sea on boats carrying asylum seekers to Australia. Of