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Australia's Historical Journey

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Australia's Historical Journey

Use the timeline, source cards and your own historical reasoning to explore how events shaped Australia. Dates are shown in day/month/year order. When a question asks you to explain, support your answer with evidence.

A changing continent and nation

First Peoples have lived on the continent now called Australia for tens of thousands of years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are diverse, with distinct Countries, languages, cultures and histories. British colonisation began in 1788, bringing profound and continuing changes to First Peoples and their communities, including loss of access to Country when land was taken for British settlement. The events below offer only a small selection of Australia's history.

1788 — The First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove, beginning British colonisation.

1854 — The Eureka Stockade took place on the Victorian goldfields. It became associated with demands for political rights.

1901 — The six British colonies federated as the Commonwealth of Australia.

1915 — Australian and New Zealand troops landed at Gallipoli during the First World War.

1967 — A referendum changed the Constitution in relation to Aboriginal people, including allowing them to be counted in the census. It did not grant citizenship or voting rights; Aboriginal people already had these rights, though access and laws varied.

1992 — The High Court's Mabo decision recognised that native title could exist under Australian law and rejected terra nullius.

Read the sources

Source A — A present-day museum label: “On 26 January 1788, the First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, this date represents the beginning of invasion and dispossession. It is marked by some as Invasion Day or Survival Day. People hold different views about how the date should be commemorated.” Source B — A Federation-era newspaper report, 1901: “Delegates from the colonies have united under a Commonwealth, with a federal parliament to make laws on national matters.” Source C — A summary of the Mabo decision, 1992: “The High Court recognised that Meriam people held traditional rights to their land on Mer (Murray Island). The decision changed Australian law by recognising native title.”

Investigate the journey

Answer using the timeline and sources above. Each question includes its own task and evidence to work from.

1.Which event happened first: Federation, the First Fleet's arrival, or the Mabo decision? Select the correct answer.

Federation in 1901
First Fleet's arrival in 1788
Mabo decision in 1992

2.Match each historical event with its significance. Write the correct letter beside each description.

A. Eureka Stockade
B. Federation
C. Mabo decision
D. First Fleet arrival

3. Six colonies formed the Commonwealth
1. Recognition of native title in Australian law
4. Event associated with political rights on the goldfields
2. First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove

3.According to Source A, why do some people mark 26 January as Invasion Day or Survival Day rather than celebrate it as a national celebration? Include one detail from the source.

4.The timeline says British colonisation began in 1788 and brought profound changes for First Peoples. The section above gives an example of loss of access to Country when land was taken for British settlement. Describe this impact and explain how it affected people or communities.

5.Using Source B, explain what Federation changed in 1901 and identify one feature of the new arrangement described in the source.

6.A student says, “The 1967 referendum gave Aboriginal people the right to vote.” Is this claim accurate? Use the timeline to correct it.

TrueFalse

7.According to Source C, whose traditional land rights were recognised in the Mabo decision, and what broader change did the decision make to Australian law?

8.Write these events from earliest to latest: Gallipoli landing; Federation; Mabo decision. Use the dates in the timeline to support your order.

9.Compare Sources A and B. What different perspectives do they present about Australia's history, and why might the purposes or audiences of the sources help explain the difference?