Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Rights Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights in Australia.

Colonisation (Australia)

The process by which settlers from Europe established control over Indigenous lands and people, leading to significant social, economic, and cultural changes.

Terra Nullius

Latin for “land belonging to no one.” Used by Britain to justify the legal acquisition of Australian land, ignoring the presence of Aboriginal nations.

Segregation (Australia)

Policies in the 19th and 20th centuries that enforced the separation of Aboriginal people from white Australians, denying them access to public facilities and rights.

Assimilation (Australia)

A policy introduced in the 1930s and 1950s aimed to 'blend' Aboriginal people into white society by erasing their culture and identity.

Aboriginal Protection Boards

Set up in various states from the late 1800s to control Aboriginal people’s lives, including where they lived, who they married, and how their children were raised.

Reserves (Australia)

Designated areas of land where Aboriginal people were forcibly relocated, often with poor conditions and restricted movement.

Missions (Australia)

Religious and cultural re-education centers run by churches where Aboriginal people were forced to abandon traditional beliefs and languages.

The Stolen Generations

The removal of tens of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. Children were placed in institutions or with white families, often losing their culture, language, and connection to their heritage. This caused lasting trauma and disrupted communities.

The Bringing Them Home Report (1997)

A national inquiry into the Stolen Generations that found the removals were genocidal and recommended reparations and an official apology.

Cathy Freeman

First Aboriginal athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in 2000.

Oodgeroo Noonuccal

First published Aboriginal poet, whose works protested injustice and celebrated Aboriginal identity.

David Unaipon

Inventor, author, and thinker who appears on the $50 note, known for mechanical innovations and promotion of Aboriginal rights.

Wave Hill Walk-Off (1966)

In protest against unjust working conditions and extremely low wages. This action evolved into a significant land rights movement, advocating for the return of their ancestral lands. The walk-off lasted for nine years, becoming a symbol of Indigenous resistance and the fight for land justice in Australia.

Vincent Lingiari

Gurindji elder and activist; his receipt of land in 1975 symbolized justice.

Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976

Allowed Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory to make claims to land based on traditional association.

Australian Freedom Riders (1965)

A group of Sydney University students, led by Charles Perkins, who aimed to expose racism and segregation in rural NSW in 1965. They traveled to towns like Walgett and Moree to protest discriminatory practices against Aboriginal people, raising awareness and advocating for change.

Charles Perkins

a trailblazing Aboriginal activist and the first Indigenous Australian to graduate from university. He became a national figure through his leadership of the 1965 Freedom Ride, which exposed racial segregation and discrimination in rural New South Wales. Inspired by the American Civil Rights Movement, Perkins used both protest and public service to advocate for justice, self-determination, and equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

1967 Referendum

A vote to change the Constitution that resulted in over 90% support to include Indigenous Australians in the census and allow the federal government to make laws for Aboriginal people.

Native Title

A legal term for the recognition of Indigenous land ownership based on traditional laws and customs, first recognized in the 1992 Mabo decision.

Self determination

Self-determination in Australia is a pivotal policy shift that empowers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to manage their own affairs and make decisions about their communities' futures. This includes control over key areas such as housing, education, healthcare, and economic development. It aims to address historical injustices.

Tent Embassy

a protest against the Australian government's denial of Aboriginal land rights. It was set up on the lawns of Parliament House and has become a permanent symbol of Indigenous land rights activism. The embassy represents a continuous call for recognition,

Eddie Mabo

Mabo challenged the legal doctrine of Terra Nullius, which wrongly asserted that Australia was uninhabited before European colonization. He argued that his people, the Meriam people, had traditional ownership of their land on Murray Island

Mabo Decision (1992)

1992 High Court case that overturned Terra Nullius and recognised native title.

Native Title Act 1993

Passed in response to Mabo, recognizing that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples could claim native title if they could prove a continuous connection to the land.

Crown Land

(Land owned by the government.) Crown Land plays a significant role in land management and resource allocation, often subject to different laws and regulations compared to privately owned land. The government can lease or grant certain rights over

Wik Decision (1996)

1996 case that allowed native title to coexist with pastoral leases unless there was conflict.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC)

ATSIC was an Australian government body aimed at advancing Indigenous self-determination and improving the social, economic, and cultural well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples but was later abolished in 2005 due to financial discrepancies.

‘Redfern Park’ Speech (1992)

Delivered in 1992 by Prime Minister Paul Keating, the launch of the International Year for the World’s Indigenous People, Keating acknowledged the deep injustices inflicted upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by European settlement. He spoke of dispossession, violence, and cultural destruction, marking one of the first times an Australian Prime Minister had so directly addressed the historical wrongs committed against Indigenous Australians. and called for a process of reconciliation and acknowledgment of their rights.

Colonisation

Process where one country claims and settles land occupied by another people, dispossessing them.

Segregation

Racial separation of public spaces and services.

Assimilation

Policy aimed at making Indigenous Australians adopt white culture and abandon their traditions.

Reserve

Area of land set aside for Aboriginal people, often with limited rights and movement.

Mission

Church-run communities aiming to convert and ‘civilise’ Aboriginal people.

Stolen Generation

Children forcibly removed from Aboriginal families between 1910–1970.

White Australia Policy

Series of immigration laws (1901–1970s) aiming to keep Australia racially ‘white’.

Land Rights

Movement to return traditional lands to Aboriginal peoples.

Native Title

Legal recognition that Aboriginal people have rights to land based on traditional law and customs.

Self-determination

Policy allowing Aboriginal people to control their own lives and services.

Referendum

National vote to change the Constitution.