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Five Australians: Charles Perkins campaigns for Aboriginal rights

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Old photo of men sitting around table at meeting or conference
Five Australians: Charles Perkins campaigns for Aboriginal rights

SUBJECTS:  Civics and Citizenship, History

YEARS:  9–10


Why was 1967 a turning point in the struggle for legal equality and the civil rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?

In this clip, we encounter leading Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins as he addresses a range of public meetings held to raise awareness of racial discrimination and to bring about change for Indigenous Australians.

This clip is one in a series of two.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Did you know that until May 1967 the Australian Constitution discriminated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples? In that month a referendum was held to amend the Constitution to have Indigenous Australians counted in censuses and to give the Australian Parliament the power to make laws for them. Charles Perkins played a key role in the very successful campaign for these changes.
  2. 2.In this clip, first broadcast in January 1967, what does Perkins tell his audience about Aboriginal rights to own land? What does he say have been the consequences of lack of educational opportunities for Indigenous Australians? Why does he state that addressing Indigenous Australian disadvantage is 'a national question'? What solutions does he offer?
  3. 3.Find appropriate sources to conduct research to prepare a timeline of significant events in Charles Perkins' life. Your timeline should include: early life; schooling and sporting career; university years; work for the Freedom Ride and the 1967 Referendum; and roles in the Commonwealth Public Service, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. Do any of his roles relate to issues and solutions he raised in the clip?
  4. 4.The period from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s saw a huge upsurge in protest activity. Indigenous Australian rights campaigns included the Wave Hill strike and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Massive demonstrations against the Vietnam War took place in cities around the world. The era also saw the birth of the women's liberation movement. What social factors contributed to the 60s and 70s becoming the 'protest era'?



Date of broadcast: 1967


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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