The 20th-century civil rights movement in Australia had a positive significant impact on indigenous rights. It showed awareness about the unfairness that Indigenous Australians face and it ultimately created a change in laws and people's mindset towards them. For centuries, Indigenous Australians faced discrimination, loss of land, slavery, segregation, and inequality. This all changed with the use of Indigenous activists and protests. They fought for equal rights, land rights and exposed the world to the harsh reality of segregation. These events are the 1962 referendum (the right to vote), the 1966 Wave Hill Walk-Off, and the 1967 Referendum. The 1962 right to vote was a significant milestone as it was a crucial step for indigenous rights …show more content…
Section 127 of the Commonwealth stated, “Aboriginal natives shall not be counted”, meaning they weren’t counted as part of the population. The lack of recognition and discrimination toward Indigenous people allowed people to induce cruel policies. Various individuals protested and campaigned for the recognition and inherent dignity by highlighting how Indigenous Australians should be treated as equals and no longer second-class citizens. In 1967, 91 percent of Australians voted ‘yes’ for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to be counted as part of the population. Gordon Bryant stated, “The vote is an overwhelming endorsement of the view that it is time for material action. The Government cannot hide behind constitutional inhibitions, nor can it hide behind faith in public apathy. This vote represents a great national demand for action.” This quote depicts how this referendum impacted indigenous rights. The 1967 referendum made a significant impact on indigenous rights as it challenged discrimination and acknowledged the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders within the Australian community. The 20th-century civil rights movement in Australia played a predominant role in shaping Indigenous rights, challenging discrimination and segregation, and fostering recognition and
The 1961 US Freedom Rides were an immense driving force within the African American community seeing as the participants— mere students who were part of an activist group called the Congress of Racial Equality (CoRE)— refused to give up on protesting for what they believed in even when being violently attacked by those who strongly opposed them. It is obvious that their perspiration and determination to achieve their goals would inspire many and, due to the ever increasing inequality and dehumanising behaviours directed towards Australian Aborigines during the same time period, inspiration was exactly what was needed to begin protests and activisms much like those conducted within America. Throughout the time period that followed the US Freedom rides, Australian Aborigines partook in their own activisms which included a Freedom ride that is believed to have been inspired by those that took place within America.
During this era, LBJ and the Civil Rights Bill was the main aattraction. July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed a civil rights bill that prohibited discrimination in voting, education, employment, and other areas of the American life. At this point, the American life will be changed forever. LBJ had helped to weaken bills because he felt as if it was the states job and not the goverment, but why did he change his mind? Was polictics the reason LBJ signed the Civil Rights Bill of 1964?
...ndigenous recognition and the removal of racist remarks has been an on-going theme for a vast majority of time. The necessity of Constitutional reform to close the gap on cultural divide as well as support the on-going concept of reconciliation is essential in ensuring Australia continues to improve and nurture its relationship with Indigenous peoples. The process of amendment through referendum has proven to be problematic in the past, with the success rate exceptionally low. Though with key factors such as bi-partisan support, widespread public knowledge and correct management, the alteration to remove racial discrimination and provide recognition for Indigenous persons within the Constitution is highly achievable. If proposed and eventually passed, this will provide assistance in eliminating many of the cultural gaps Indigenous persons face throughout society.
Throughout the world, in history and in present day, injustice has affected all of us. Whether it is racial, sexist, discriminatory, being left disadvantaged or worse, injustice surrounds us. Australia is a country that has been plagued by injustice since the day our British ancestors first set foot on Australian soil and claimed the land as theirs. We’ve killed off many of the Indigenous Aboriginal people, and also took Aboriginal children away from their families; this is known as the stolen generation. On the day Australia became a federation in 1901, the first Prime Minister of Australia, Edmund Barton, created the White Australia Policy. This only let people of white skin colour migrate to the country. Even though Australia was the first country to let women vote, women didn’t stand in Parliament until 1943 as many of us didn’t support female candidates, this was 40 years after they passed the law in Australian Parliament for women to stand in elections. After the events of World War Two, we have made an effort to make a stop to these issues here in Australia.
This includes National Aboriginal Month and National Aboriginal Day (June 21), which recognize Aboriginal Arts, Culture and contributions such as how the Aboriginals aided the allies in WW1. Moreover, Aboriginals had also been given the right to vote in 1960 via the government of John Diefenbaker. Additionally, in 1982, the Constitution Act specifically recognized the rights of the native people. However, Aboriginal people have still not recovered from the events which happened in the past and some are still treated with
The 1967 referendum – Fact sheet 150. (2014). Retrieved March 16, 2014, from National Archives of Australia: http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs150.aspx
According to Thomas Jefferson, all men are created equal with certain unalienable rights. Unalienable rights are rights given to the people by their Creator rather than by government. These rights are inseparable from us and can’t be altered, denied, nullified or taken away by any government, except in extremely rare circumstances in which the government can take action against a particular right as long as it is in favor of the people’s safety. The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America mentions three examples of unalienable rights: “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. I believe these rights, since they are acquired by every human being from the day they are conceived, should always be respected, but being realistic, most of the time, the government intervenes and either diminishes or
McClelland, Robert. 2002. Is the Time Right for a Bill of Rights? Pg. 137-150. Swinburne Online Library. Viewed 19th December 2016.
The 1967 referendum resulted in the change of the Constitution on August 10 of that year, initiating the start of great change for the lives of indigenous people in Australia. The referendum sought to change Sections 51 and 127 of the Constitution. Section 51 stated the Federal Government could make laws for anyone in the nation except aborigines, leaving state governments in charge (Creative Spirits – 1967 Referendum, online, 14/8/15). Section 127 specified that when the population of the Commonwealth was counted, indigenous people were not included (Creative Spirits – 1967 Referendum, online, 14/8/15). According to Faith Bandler, an indigenous civil rights activist, it was important to force the Commonwealth to be responsible for the aborigines
In 1961, the US Freedom Rides was quite a significant event that is still remembered by many Americans and African-Americans today. It was the time when racial discrimination and segregation had existed and has had an immense effect and impact on African-Americans. Yet, it had ended after a lot of hard work protesting, campaigning in different areas of America and thanks to some key events that had also helped along with these including the Birmingham Campaign and Martin Luther King Jr’s activism. This event of the United States however is a lot similar to events that had occurred in Australia at the time and is considered to be an inspiration to Aboriginal activism and protest in Australia. The event that took place for the Aboriginal activism
The rights and freedoms achieved in Australia in the 20th and 21st century can be described as discriminating, dehumanising and unfair against the Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australians have achieved rights and freedoms in their country since the invasion of the English Monarch in 1788 through the exploration and development of laws, referendums and processes. Firstly, this essay will discuss the effects of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on the Indigenous Australians through dehumanising and discriminating against them. Secondly, this essay will discuss how Indigenous Australians gained citizenship and voting
Indigenous Australian land rights have sparked controversy between Non Indigenous and Indigenous Australians throughout history. The struggle to determine who the rightful owners of the land are is still largely controversial throughout Australia today. Indigenous Australian land rights however, go deeper than simply owning the land as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have established an innate spiritual connection making them one with the land. The emphasis of this essay is to determine how Indigenous Australian land rights have impacted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, highlighting land rights regarding the Mabo v. the State of Queensland case and the importance behind today’s teachers understanding and including Indigenous
Since the time of federation the Aboriginal people have been fighting for their rights through protests, strikes and the notorious ‘day of mourning’. However, over the last century the Australian federal government has generated policies which manage and restrained that of the Aboriginal people’s rights, citizenships and general protection. The Australian government policy that has had the most significant impact on indigenous Australians is the assimilation policy. The reasons behind this include the influences that the stolen generation has had on the indigenous Australians, their relegated rights and their entitlement to vote and the impact that the policy has had on the indigenous people of Australia.
Indigenous Australians have had a controversial place throughout Australian history, with World War 1 being one of the main events in this topic. Although there were no aboriginals that went to fight in World War I, it was not that they didn't want to because of their violent history with the British, it was because the British didn't allow them to enlist for World War 1.
American Civil Rights Movement By Eric Eckhart The American Civil Rights movement was a movement in which African Americans were once slaves and over many generations fought in nonviolent means such as protests, sit-ins, boycotts, and many other forms of civil disobedience in order to receive equal rights as whites in society. The American civil rights movement never really had either a starting or a stopping date in history. However, these African American citizens had remarkable courage to never stop, until these un-just laws were changed and they received what they had been fighting for all along, their inalienable rights as human beings and to be equal to all other human beings. Up until this very day there are still racial issues where some people feel supreme over other people due to race.