For our study of No Sugar, it is important to know brief background information such as this timeline of events below, however we simply don't have the time to explore the rich and complex history of our first peoples of Australia.
Most historians believe Aborigines came to Australia from South East Asia over 50,000 years ago however it could be much more than that - perhaps 100,000 or 120,000 years ago.
Prior to the arrival of the British First Fleet, Indigenous Australians lived in small communities of tribes and clans. At the time of British arrival, there were said to be between 350 - 750 tribes and clans, each characterised by distinct languages and rich cultural traditions. Indigenous Australians lived off the land. What do you think this means?
Pre-Cook History
1401: Chinese sailors visit Darwin
1500: Dutch documents record first journeys of Macassans (Indigenous Indonesians) to Australia
1588: Macassans sail to the Northern Territory and begin trading with the Aborigines (Aborigines trade continued until stopped by the South Australian government in 1906).
1606: The Dutch explore Cape York Peninsula and are the first European to have contact with the Aborigines - the groups clash.
1623: Dutchman Jan Carstenz described several armed encounters with Aboriginal people on the northern coast of Australia.
Early White History (Only some events have been listed)
1770, 29 April: Captain James Cook claims possession of the entire east coast of Australia for Britain under Terra Nullius (no man's land)
1788, 24 January: The First Fleet, led by Captain Arthur Phillip arrives in Botany Bay in News South Wales.
1788, 25 January: Captain Phillip raises a flag of the Union Jack and starts a penal colony (a settlement used to place convicts and prisoners away from their homeland). Aboriginal resistance begins.
1788, 26 January: European Australia was established at a ceremony held by the British Europeans at Sydney Cove.
** It is difficult to determine how many Aborigines were living in Australia at the time of British settlement however most historians estimate the population to be approximately 300,000. Some historians believe the figure may have been as high as 1 million.
1788, 29 May: First conflict between Aborigines and the British takes place at Rushcutters Bay in New South Wales.
1789, April: A smallpox epidemic infiltrates and almost completely wipes out tribes in Botany Bay, Port Jackons and Broken Bay.
1789, November: Two Aboriginal men, Bennelong and Colobee are captured by the British. Colobee escapes.
1790: The Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars in NSW are the first of a series of wars that take place between the Aborigines and the British across Australia. Collectively, the wars are known as the Frontier Wars and the last reported battle took place around 1934.
1803: Tasmania is occupied by white people. Over 600 Aborigines and 200 white settlers die in the Black Wars of Tasmania which last until 1830.
1804: A NSW Lieutenant orders his offers to open fire at 300 Aborigines who are most likely hunting kangaroos. Between 30-60 Aborigines are killed however the Lieutenant tries to cover-up the incident by claiming only 3 people are shot. This event marks the beginning of the genocide - white settlers are authorised to shoot unarmed Aborigines.
1810: Aborigines begin to be moved to mission stations where they are taught European beliefs and are used as cheap labour.
1829: A British colony is setup in Perth, Western Australia.
1834, October: Governor Stirling and his men attack 80 Aboriginal people on Swan River, near Pinjarra in Western Australia. Official government reports claim only 14 deaths however many accounts suggest an entire clan was wiped out.
1835: The Dunghutti tribe in northern NSW are confined to 40 hectares of land. They previously held 250,000 hectares.
1837: A British Select Committee examines the treatment of Indigenous people in all British colonies around the world and harshly criticises the Australian colonies. The committee pronounces the 'plain and sacred right' or Aboriginal peoples to the land and recommends a 'Protector of Aborigines' be appointed.
1838-1841: A series of massacres take place around the country causing hundreds of Aboriginal deaths.
1848: The Board of National Education states "It is impractical to provide any form of education for the children of blacks".
1861: Aboriginal people attack and kills 19 settlers near Emerald, Queensland. 170 Aboriginal people are killed as punishment.
1869: The Victorian Board for the Protection of Aborigines is created. The Government can move any Aboriginal child away from their family.
1886: The Western Australian Board for the Protection of Aborigines is created.
1888: The phrase 'White Australia Policy' appears for the first time in an Australian newspaper called The Boomerang.
1888: The total Aboriginal population is estimated to have reduced by 220,000 to 80,000.
Most historians believe Aborigines came to Australia from South East Asia over 50,000 years ago however it could be much more than that - perhaps 100,000 or 120,000 years ago.
Prior to the arrival of the British First Fleet, Indigenous Australians lived in small communities of tribes and clans. At the time of British arrival, there were said to be between 350 - 750 tribes and clans, each characterised by distinct languages and rich cultural traditions. Indigenous Australians lived off the land. What do you think this means?
Pre-Cook History
1401: Chinese sailors visit Darwin
1500: Dutch documents record first journeys of Macassans (Indigenous Indonesians) to Australia
1588: Macassans sail to the Northern Territory and begin trading with the Aborigines (Aborigines trade continued until stopped by the South Australian government in 1906).
1606: The Dutch explore Cape York Peninsula and are the first European to have contact with the Aborigines - the groups clash.
1623: Dutchman Jan Carstenz described several armed encounters with Aboriginal people on the northern coast of Australia.
Early White History (Only some events have been listed)
1770, 29 April: Captain James Cook claims possession of the entire east coast of Australia for Britain under Terra Nullius (no man's land)
1788, 24 January: The First Fleet, led by Captain Arthur Phillip arrives in Botany Bay in News South Wales.
1788, 25 January: Captain Phillip raises a flag of the Union Jack and starts a penal colony (a settlement used to place convicts and prisoners away from their homeland). Aboriginal resistance begins.
1788, 26 January: European Australia was established at a ceremony held by the British Europeans at Sydney Cove.
** It is difficult to determine how many Aborigines were living in Australia at the time of British settlement however most historians estimate the population to be approximately 300,000. Some historians believe the figure may have been as high as 1 million.
1788, 29 May: First conflict between Aborigines and the British takes place at Rushcutters Bay in New South Wales.
1789, April: A smallpox epidemic infiltrates and almost completely wipes out tribes in Botany Bay, Port Jackons and Broken Bay.
1789, November: Two Aboriginal men, Bennelong and Colobee are captured by the British. Colobee escapes.
1790: The Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars in NSW are the first of a series of wars that take place between the Aborigines and the British across Australia. Collectively, the wars are known as the Frontier Wars and the last reported battle took place around 1934.
1803: Tasmania is occupied by white people. Over 600 Aborigines and 200 white settlers die in the Black Wars of Tasmania which last until 1830.
1804: A NSW Lieutenant orders his offers to open fire at 300 Aborigines who are most likely hunting kangaroos. Between 30-60 Aborigines are killed however the Lieutenant tries to cover-up the incident by claiming only 3 people are shot. This event marks the beginning of the genocide - white settlers are authorised to shoot unarmed Aborigines.
1810: Aborigines begin to be moved to mission stations where they are taught European beliefs and are used as cheap labour.
1829: A British colony is setup in Perth, Western Australia.
1834, October: Governor Stirling and his men attack 80 Aboriginal people on Swan River, near Pinjarra in Western Australia. Official government reports claim only 14 deaths however many accounts suggest an entire clan was wiped out.
1835: The Dunghutti tribe in northern NSW are confined to 40 hectares of land. They previously held 250,000 hectares.
1837: A British Select Committee examines the treatment of Indigenous people in all British colonies around the world and harshly criticises the Australian colonies. The committee pronounces the 'plain and sacred right' or Aboriginal peoples to the land and recommends a 'Protector of Aborigines' be appointed.
1838-1841: A series of massacres take place around the country causing hundreds of Aboriginal deaths.
1848: The Board of National Education states "It is impractical to provide any form of education for the children of blacks".
1861: Aboriginal people attack and kills 19 settlers near Emerald, Queensland. 170 Aboriginal people are killed as punishment.
1869: The Victorian Board for the Protection of Aborigines is created. The Government can move any Aboriginal child away from their family.
1886: The Western Australian Board for the Protection of Aborigines is created.
1888: The phrase 'White Australia Policy' appears for the first time in an Australian newspaper called The Boomerang.
1888: The total Aboriginal population is estimated to have reduced by 220,000 to 80,000.
Early 20th Century History
1901, 1 January: Federation. The 6 self-governing British colonies of Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania unite as the Commonwealth of Australia.
1901, 1 January: The Commonwealth Constitution, the law which outlines the rules of the country states that Aborigines are not counted in the population.
1901, 1 January: The Commonwealth Constitution also states that laws regarding Aboriginal peoples are determined by the states and are not a federal matter.
1901, 1 January: Aboriginal people are not allowed to vote, receive the pension or enlist in the armed forces.
1901, September: The Commonwealth government introduces the White Australia Policy to try and ban all non-white-Europeans from entering Australia.
1905: The Western Australia Aborigines Act is passed, making the Chief Protector the legal guardian of all Aboriginal and 'half-caste' children under 16 and therefore allows the forced confinement, assimilation and removal of children.
1914, 28 July: World War I begins. Over 1,000 Indigenous Australians enlist and fight in the war.
1917: Jack Davis is born in Yarloop, Western Australia,
1918, 11 November: World War I ends.
1920: Aboriginal population estimated at its lowest, 60,000-70,000 people. Most non-Aboriginals have no contact with native Australians due to segregation laws and social conventions.
1926: Oombulgarri Massacre. Many accounts suggest around 300 Aborigines died as a result of this massace however the justice system reported 11 deaths.
1927: Aboriginal people are banned from Perth until 1948.
1929, October: The Wall Street Stockmarket crashes in the USA.
1929, October: Beginning of The Great Depression (western world)
1930: Australian unemployment more than doubled from 10% to 21% (although remember, non-whites are not counted as Australian).
1932: The peak of unemployment in Australia, almost 32%.
1932: Approximate end of The Great Depression (global) - the affects are still strongly felt in Australia.
1933, 8 April: WA Secession Referendum. The referendum proposed Western Australia be removed from the Commonwealth of Australia and become its own country. The majority of people (remember, syill not including Aborigines) voted yes to withdraw from the Commonwealth however the referendum was ruled invalid by the British Parliament.
1933, 8 April: WA State Elections. Then Liberal Premier, James Mitchell is overthrown in a landslide Labor victory.
1934: Under the Aborigines Act, Aboriginal peoples can apply to 'cease being Aboriginal' and access the same rights as white Australians.
1936: The Western Australia Aborigines Act is amended to permit Aboriginal people to be taken into custody without trial or appeal and stop them from entering certain towns without a permit.
1948: Aborigines are recognised as Australian citizens however this is interpreted differently by each state.
1967: Referendum held to decide whether or not to amend the wording of the Constitution to include Indigenous Australians in the census and allow the Commonwealth to make laws for them - an overwhelming 97% yes vote.
Sources: http://www.teachingheritage.nsw.edu.au/section03/timeindig.php, https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/history/aboriginal-history-timeline-1770-1899 and https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/history/aboriginal-history-timeline-1900-1969
1901, 1 January: Federation. The 6 self-governing British colonies of Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania unite as the Commonwealth of Australia.
1901, 1 January: The Commonwealth Constitution, the law which outlines the rules of the country states that Aborigines are not counted in the population.
1901, 1 January: The Commonwealth Constitution also states that laws regarding Aboriginal peoples are determined by the states and are not a federal matter.
1901, 1 January: Aboriginal people are not allowed to vote, receive the pension or enlist in the armed forces.
1901, September: The Commonwealth government introduces the White Australia Policy to try and ban all non-white-Europeans from entering Australia.
1905: The Western Australia Aborigines Act is passed, making the Chief Protector the legal guardian of all Aboriginal and 'half-caste' children under 16 and therefore allows the forced confinement, assimilation and removal of children.
1914, 28 July: World War I begins. Over 1,000 Indigenous Australians enlist and fight in the war.
1917: Jack Davis is born in Yarloop, Western Australia,
1918, 11 November: World War I ends.
1920: Aboriginal population estimated at its lowest, 60,000-70,000 people. Most non-Aboriginals have no contact with native Australians due to segregation laws and social conventions.
1926: Oombulgarri Massacre. Many accounts suggest around 300 Aborigines died as a result of this massace however the justice system reported 11 deaths.
1927: Aboriginal people are banned from Perth until 1948.
1929, October: The Wall Street Stockmarket crashes in the USA.
1929, October: Beginning of The Great Depression (western world)
1930: Australian unemployment more than doubled from 10% to 21% (although remember, non-whites are not counted as Australian).
1932: The peak of unemployment in Australia, almost 32%.
1932: Approximate end of The Great Depression (global) - the affects are still strongly felt in Australia.
1933, 8 April: WA Secession Referendum. The referendum proposed Western Australia be removed from the Commonwealth of Australia and become its own country. The majority of people (remember, syill not including Aborigines) voted yes to withdraw from the Commonwealth however the referendum was ruled invalid by the British Parliament.
1933, 8 April: WA State Elections. Then Liberal Premier, James Mitchell is overthrown in a landslide Labor victory.
1934: Under the Aborigines Act, Aboriginal peoples can apply to 'cease being Aboriginal' and access the same rights as white Australians.
1936: The Western Australia Aborigines Act is amended to permit Aboriginal people to be taken into custody without trial or appeal and stop them from entering certain towns without a permit.
1948: Aborigines are recognised as Australian citizens however this is interpreted differently by each state.
1967: Referendum held to decide whether or not to amend the wording of the Constitution to include Indigenous Australians in the census and allow the Commonwealth to make laws for them - an overwhelming 97% yes vote.
Sources: http://www.teachingheritage.nsw.edu.au/section03/timeindig.php, https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/history/aboriginal-history-timeline-1770-1899 and https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/history/aboriginal-history-timeline-1900-1969