Aboriginal land rights in Australia facts for kids

Aboriginal land rights in Australia are special rules that let Indigenous Australians own land. These laws allow the government to give land to Indigenous (native) Australians. There are different rules for how this happens.

These land rights are active in places like the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria. Usually, the land is given to a whole community or group, not just one person. This land usually cannot be sold or traded. It is meant to be passed down to future generations.

History of Land Rights

Aboriginal land rights laws were created because Indigenous Australians protested for a long time. An organised movement for land rights began in the 1970s.

Pilbara Strike

On 1 May 1946, more than 800 Aboriginal stockmen in the Pilbara area of Western Australia went on strike. They demanded to be paid for their work. Other Aboriginal workers from Port Hedland and Marble Bar joined them. The strike ended in 1949.

Yolngu Bark Petition

In 1963, the government turned part of the Yolngu people's traditional lands in Arnhem Land into a bauxite mine. The Yolngu started a petition (now called the Yirrkala bark petitions) to ask for their land rights back. This petition became a legal case. Mining continued, and the legal case lasted for 41 years. The Yolngu finally became part of the agreement between the government and the mining company in 2011.

Freedom Ride

In 1964 and 1965, students from the University of Sydney formed a group. It was called Student Action for Aboriginals. They travelled to country towns in New South Wales. They wanted to see how segregation affected native and non-native people. They led protests to make people aware of Aboriginal civil rights issues. This became known as the Freedom Ride movement.

At that time, Aboriginal people were not counted in the census. Their civil rights were also different from white citizens. This changed in 1967. A referendum gave Aboriginal people the same rights as white Australians.

Wave Hill Walk-off

The Wave Hill walk-off happened in August 1966. About 200 Gurindji stockmen and servants at Wave Hill cattle station went on strike. They demanded wages and the return of some of their traditional lands.

The strike lasted for nine years. Their demand for land was not met at first. But the Gurindji stayed camped on their traditional country. They chose to follow their own laws instead of the state's. This event gained a lot of support for Aboriginal land rights. Supporters in cities rallied for the Gurindji. Eventually, they won the right to own part of their land.

State and Territory Laws

Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976

In 1973, a group called the Aboriginal Land Rights Commission was created in the Northern Territory. This group suggested that the government should recognise Aboriginal Land Rights. They also gave advice on how to make laws about it.

Prime Minister Gough Whitlam used this advice to bring a Land Rights Bill to parliament. The next prime minister, Malcolm Fraser, made some changes to it. The Governor-General passed it into law on 16 December 1976.

This 1976 law was the first Aboriginal land rights law in Australia. It allowed Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory to claim rights to land. This was land their ancestors had lived on before white people arrived. Groups making claims had to show proof of their historical connection to the land.

This law gave almost 50% of land in the Northern Territory (about 600,000 square kilometres) to native groups. Before this law, there were "indigenous reserves" in the Northern Territory. This land was owned by the government. It was set aside for Aboriginal people to live on until they were assimilated into white society. When the 1976 law started, these old "reserves" were given to the Aboriginal groups living on them. They did not have to make a claim for this land.

See also

In Spanish: Derechos territoriales de los aborígenes australianos para niños