In 1770, Captain Cook entered Botany Bay claiming the land for the British Crown and declaring that Australia was 'terra nullius' - land belonging to nobody. This act was in defiance to the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples and their special connection with the land. Since 1770, the Aboriginal and Torres Strain Islander peoples of Australia have faced marginalisation and discriminat
ion, however, certain efforts have been made by the Federal Government of Australia and private organisations to decrease this. One such occasion was the 1967 referendum whereby more than 90 percent of the Australian population voted 'Yes' in a referendum that would give the government power to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the census and allow the Commonwealth to make laws for them. The 27th of May, 2017 is the 50 year anniversary of the 1967 referendum, and so the Australian Government plans to introduce an 'Indigenous Referendum' to mark this date. There is currently no specific reference to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people in Australia's constitution, so the 2017 referendum will attempt to change this, while also removing several references to race in the constitution that allow governments to discriminate against Indigenous Australians. The role of this group (Reconciliation50) is to promote discussion and raise awareness of the issues surrounding Reconciliation and Indigenous rights in Australia by using the impending referendum to frame the topic.
