Aboriginal people have fought for rights to their traditional lands since Australia was first colonised. In the Milirrpum vs Nabalco Northern Territory Supreme Court case in 1971, traditional lands were sold to the mining company Nabalco without consultation, resulting in petitions and protests.
Ultimately, the court ruled with Nabalco and on the eve of 26 January 1972, Prime Minister William McMahon instigated further outrage after he rejected requests for independent ownership of traditional land. Instead, the McMahon Government implemented a new system that offered Aboriginal communities and peoples 50-year leases—so long as they could demonstrate social and economic use of the land.
The following day, four young Aboriginal men from Redfern, Sydney took action by driving to Ngambri and Ngunnawal Country (Canberra) and setting up a beach umbrella on the lawns opposite the old Parliament House. Their names were Michael Anderson, Billy Craigie, Bertie Williams, and Tony Coorey. Their sit-in protest would establish the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, which endures to this day.
By 6 February, the protestors issued a list of demands:
- Complete rights to the Northern Territory as a state within Australia and the installation of a primarily Aboriginal State Parliament. These rights would include all mining rights to the land.
- Ownership and mining rights of all other Aboriginal reserve lands in Australia.
- The preservation of all sacred sites in Australia.
- Ownership of areas in major cities, including the mining rights.
- Compensation for lands that were not able to be returned, starting with $6 billion and including a percentage of the gross national income every year.
The protest soon gained traction and widespread media attention, earning support from Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people and international recognition. More tents began to pop up, and marches were held in solidarity, though many politicians and members of the public still opposed the Embassy’s cause.
New laws were implemented to remove protestors, resulting in clashes with police. Undeterred, the tents were re-established time and time again and the Embassy stood until 1976, when it was dismantled following negotiations on the Aboriginal Land Rights Act.
Afterward, Aboriginal Tent Embassy locations were set up across Canberra. 20 years after the beach umbrella was first placed opposite the old Parliament House, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy was permanently re-established on its original site in 1992.
Now, having surpassed its 50th anniversary, the Embassy remains, standing as a symbol of continued resistance to colonial rule