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Listed under:  History  >  World history  >  Australian history
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ABC News: Mungo man goes home

The discovery of Mungo Man in 1974 rewrote history by revealing that Aboriginal people had been in Australia twice as long as previously thought. Named after the location at which it was found, the skeleton is around 42,000 years old. When discovered in 1974, Mungo Man was moved to a university in Canberra for scientific ...

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Four Corners: The politics of native title

What were the politics surrounding the issue of native title in 1993? Former prime minister Paul Keating's support for the granting of native title was not popular with all Australians. Many of his Labor colleagues were uncomfortable about it. Listen as Tim Fischer, then leader of the National Party, declares his position ...

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Indigenous Australian Activism in 1974

For generations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have sought to regain custodianship of the land taken from them since the arrival of Europeans in Australia. In the early 1970s, protests and demonstrations signified the beginning of the Land Rights movement. In this clip, Indigenous Australian activist Sam ...

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The convict voyages

What do you think it was like for convicts on their voyage from England to Australia? Would you be surprised to discover that their life expectancy on board a convict vessel was actually higher than that of free settlers? Watch this video to discover why this might be, and learn about the convicts themselves.

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The explorers’ diaries

When Sir Thomas Mitchell and Sir George Grey explored unknown regions of Australia in the 19th century, they found sophisticated examples of agriculture practised by Indigenous peoples. Writer Bruce Pascoe considers why Aboriginal agriculture, economy and civilisation were not taught to generations of Australians. Do you ...

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ABC News: The 1970 Moratorium, power to the people

It's 1970 and the streets of Melbourne are clogged with protesters who want to end Australia's support for the Vietnam war. But they are not the only ones who have turned out. There are those who support the war, curious onlookers, and members of the press. The different views of those in attendance hint at the unrest caused, ...

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Calls for recognition of Indigenous Australians

Discover why many Australians believe the time has come to change the Australian Constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories. This program from January 2012 examines the debate about how this change might be achieved. It looks at the growing call for our constitution to recognise and advance ...

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In My Blood It Runs: First Nations education

While watching this clip, consider Article 14 of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods ...

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Paul Keating's 1992 Redfern speech

On 10 December 1992, Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating delivered a speech in Redfern, Sydney at a celebration of the International Year of the World's Indigenous People. The speech addressed many of the injustices suffered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the previous 200 years. Today, it is regarded ...

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The Navigators: Shipwrecked off 'New Holland'

Nicolas Baudin and Matthew Flinders are ready to take their maps and discoveries home. They have been exploring the coasts of 'New Holland' for many months. Both men suffer tragedy on their return voyages. Watch this clip to find out what happens to them.

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Impact of European settlement on Aboriginal Tasmanians video

Aboriginal Tasmanians had inhabited Tasmania for over 40,000 years before the arrival of European settlers. What do you think life was like for Aboriginal Tasmanians before then? Why might have they embarked on a war, called the 'Black War', once settlers began arriving in Tasmania, despite existing relatively peacefully ...

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ABC News: Public reactions to sending troops to Vietnam War

Do you think Australian governments have always acted wisely when deciding to send young Australians to wars? Does the public usually know enough to support such decisions? On 29 April 1965, Australia's prime minister, Robert Menzies, announced the decision to send Australian troops to fight in Vietnam. In this clip, filmed ...

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Four Corners: Balancing opposing views on native title

The Mabo decision of 1992 created uncertainty for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as for the mining and pastoral industries. Public and 'leasehold' land was subject to native title claims. Listen to the responses of Indigenous leaders and the mining industry as the effects of the High Court decision ...

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Life As a Female Convict: Cascades Female Factory

The Cascades Female Factory was both a prison and a factory for female convicts in early Hobart. It was a place where convict women were forced to undertake labour in slave-like conditions to support the fledgling colony. Learn what life at the Female Factory was like for the inmates. What sort of work did the women do? ...

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BTN: Life on 'HMS Endeavour'

Imagine sailing with 94 people on board a ship for three years! That's exactly what Captain James Cook did when he sailed on Endeavour and eventually landed on the east coast of Australia. Find out what life was like on this ship for the people on board.

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ABC News: The Freedom Ride: there's a lot of work to be done

In February 2015 a busload of students and former activists left Sydney to retrace the journey of the original Freedom Riders, who, in 1965, visited northern New South Wales to observe and confront discrimination suffered by Aboriginal people. In this News clip, meet some of the original Riders, along with representatives ...

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World’s first bakers?

When did humans begin grinding seeds to make flour? Many people believe bread-making began in Egypt or Mesopotamia as long as 17,000 years ago. Archaeologists have recently found evidence that Indigenous Australians were producing flour 65,000 years ago. Were they the world’s first bakers?

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Benalla Migrant Camp

While many postwar immigrants were sent to Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre when they arrived in Australia, others lived at the smaller Benalla Migrant Camp. Like Bonegilla, Benalla is in north-east Victoria. Unlike at Bonegilla, however, many immigrants remained at Benalla for over a decade. Listen as Sabine ...

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Chinese Anzacs in World War I

Among the 420,000 Australians who served in World War I, 300 people were of Chinese descent. This was in spite of the introduction of the Commonwealth Defence Act in 1909, which stated that soldiers had to be of "substantially European origin". George Lee Kim was one such soldier. He received the Military Medal for his ...

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The House In Session, Ep 3: The Westminster system and borrowed traditions

Annabel Crabb explains the interesting traditions that the Parliament of Australia has borrowed from the parliament of Westminster in the United Kingdom. Who is Black Rod, and what is a serjeant-at-arms? What is the Mace, and why is a hood placed over it when entering the presence of the Governor-General? And why would ...