Australia's first Aboriginal member of parliament

SUBJECTS:  Civics and Citizenship, History

YEARS:  5–6, 9–10

Neville Bonner became Australia's first Aboriginal parliamentarian when he was appointed to represent Queensland in the Senate in 1971.

In this clip, Senator Bonner outlines some of his priorities and his response to public expectations as he prepared to take office.

Things to think about

1. 1.Why is it important to have a diverse range of perspectives represented in parliament? Why do you think there were no Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples in parliament before 1971? If you were interviewing Senator Bonner in 1971, what would be the first three questions? Why?
2. 2.What does Senator Bonner say that he wants to achieve in this role? What are the clues that suggest that Senator Bonner will be under a lot of pressure as Australia's first Indigenous senator?
3. 3.Create a table with two columns. In the first column, list each of the reporter's questions. In the second column, describe what these questions suggest about the reporter's attitude to Senator Bonner as an Aboriginal member of parliament. How different are the reporter's questions from your top three questions?
4. 4.Research the political career of Senator Bonner. How was he treated when he arrived in Canberra? What are some of the perspectives he brought to parliament during his term as senator? How important was the election of Senator Bonner in bringing the struggle for rights and freedoms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the attention of the nation?

Date of broadcast: 1971

Copyright

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