Activism

Activism is an important part of the democratic process. Individuals and communities have the power to shape government policy and society by campaigning for change.

Topics

A topic is a collection of records with interpretation and inquiry questions. Each topic is aligned to the Australian Curriculum and focuses on an aspect of Australian history.

Topic

First Australians' land rights

When Captain Cook claimed eastern Australia for the King of Great Britain in 1770, it was not acknowledged that the land had already been inhabited by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for tens of thousands of years.
Topic

Protesting the Franklin Dam

Tasmanians were sharply divided over a 1978 proposal to dam the Franklin River and generate hydro-electricity.
Topic

Referendums and changing Australia’s constitution

The Australian people vote on proposed changes to the constitution at a referendum.
Topic

The 1967 referendum

In a referendum held on 27 May 1967, Australians voted to remove references in the Australian Constitution that discriminated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Topic

Uranium mining at Jabiluka

In 1977 the Australian Government decided to allow further mining and export of Australian uranium and approved development of Northern Territory uranium deposits known as ‘Jabiluka.’

Records

Each record focuses on a single item from the National Archives' collection. Some records contain extra information to help you interpret them.