These are significant dates of national importance for First Nations peoples and Australia as a whole.
26th January: Invasion Day – arrival of ‘First Fleet’ and the beginning of British Penal Colony
13 th February: Anniversary of the Apology to Stolen Generations – delivered by PM Kevin Rudd in 2008
3rd Thursday in March: Close the Gap Day
5th April: Bringing Them Home Report released – National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families
1st April: Release of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Report
26th May: National Sorry Day
26th May: Anniversary of the release of the Uluru Statement from the Heart – 2017
27th May: Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum: change to the Constitution to allow Federal Parliament to make laws relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and to count them in the Census. This enabled the Federal Government to enact Land Rights in Northern Territory
27th May to 3rd June: National Reconciliation Week – begins with date of 1967 Referendum and concludes with Mabo Day
29th May: Torres Strait Islander Flag Day – green for land, blue for sea, black lines for people, white dhari for culture
3rd June: Mabo Day – Eddie Koiki Mabo, Torres Strait Islander man disputed doctrine of ‘Terra Nullius’ in the High Court of Australia and won. Native Title Act followed, but was watered down by the Howard Government
1st July: Coming of the Light – celebrating the coming of Christianity to Torres Strait. First week of July: NAIDOC week – National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Day Observance Committee
4th August: National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Childrens’ Day
8th August: International Allyship Day
9th August: International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
23rd August: Anniversary of the Wave Hill Walk Off – Gurindji people walked off Wave Hill station in NT demanding better pay and conditions, and ownership of their land. Culminated in PM Gough Whitlam handing land back to Gurindgi in 1975
25th August: Australian South Sea Islander National Recognition Day – commemorating the 60,000 South Sea Islanders who were mostly forcibly brought to Australia to work as indentured labourers / virtual slaves
7th September: National Indigenous Literacy Day
26th October: Hand back of Uluru to Anangu People, 1985
23rd December: Wik Decision – coexistence of Native Title and Leasehold Title enables Native Title claims on large areas of mainland Australia