When did the Wave Hill walk-off start and end?

When did the Wave Hill walk-off start and end?

Coordinates:17.38698°S 131.11641°E The Wave Hill walk-off, also known as the Gurindji strike, was a walk-off and strike by 200 Gurindji stockmen, house servants and their families, starting on 23 August 1966 and lasting for seven years.

Why was the Wave Hill Walk-Off significance?

The Wave Hill Walk-Off inspired national change in the form of equal wages for Aboriginal workers, as well as a new land rights act. The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act was the first attempt by an Australian government to legally recognise First Nations land ownership.

Who started the Wave Hill walk-off?

Vincent Lingiari
In August 1966, Vincent Lingiari led a group of Aboriginal pastoral workers and their families in a walk-off from Wave Hill Station. The strike protested the poor conditions Aboriginal workers had experienced on the station for more than 40 years.

How did the Wave Hill walk-off become a land claim?

The Wave Hill walk-off had paved the way for the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. In 1975 the Gurindji people bought the pastoral lease with grazing rights to part of the station. After the NT government threatened to resume the lease, the Gurindji lodged a land rights claim.

When did the Australian Freedom Ride start?

1965
In 1965, a group of students from the University of Sydney drew national and international attention to the appalling living conditions of Aboriginal people and the racism that was rife in New South Wales country towns.

Where did the Wave Hill Walk Off happen?

On 23 August 1966, 200 Gurindji stockmen, domestic workers and their families initiated strike action at Wave Hill station in the Northern Territory.

What was the significance of the 1967 referendum?

Cultural competence. The 1967 Referendum was the most successful in our history winning 93 percent of votes cast. This empowered the national government to make laws in respect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that could assist in addressing inequalities.

What did the Wave Hill strike achieve?

The Gurindji strike was instrumental in heightening the understanding of Indigenous land ownership in Australia and was a catalyst for the passing of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, the first legislation allowing for a claim of title if the Indigenous claimants could provide evidence for their …

Who owned Wave Hill?

As of August 2020 it is named Wave Hill or Wave Hill/Cattle Creek and owned by Western Grazing. It is the company’s largest station, at over 12,000 square kilometres (4,600 sq mi).

Who supported the Gurindji strike?

On the 23rd August 1966, Vincent Lingiari, a Gurindji man, led around 200 of his people in a strike where they walked off Wave Hill station – this action was supported by many unionists across the Country.

What was the Wave Hill land handover?

In April 1967 the Gurindji moved their camp 20 kilometres to Daguragu (Wattie Creek). This was a symbolic shift away from the cattle station and closer to the community’s sacred sites. The Gurindji were focused on reclaiming their land while the unionists believed the dispute was solely about wages and work conditions.

How much land did the gurindji people get back?

It was on August 16, 1975 that Mr Whitlam poured soil into the hands of senior Gurindji man Vincent Lingiari to mark the return of more than 3,000 square kilometres of the Wave Hill cattle station to his people.

When did the Wave Hill walk off start and end?

The Wave Hill walk-off, also known as the Gurindji strike, was a walk-off and strike by 200 Gurindji stockmen, house servants and their families, starting on 23 August 1966 and lasting for seven years.

When did Vincent Lingiari walk off Wave Hill?

Through 1966 no progress was made in negotiations and the Gurindji community led by Vincent Lingiari walked off the station on 23 August.

Who was the leader of the Wave Hill strike?

The walk off. On 23 August 1966, led by spokesman Vincent Lingiari, the workers and their families walked off Wave Hill and began their ten-year strike. Lingiari led Gurindji, as well as Ngarinman, Bilinara, Warlpiri and Mudbara workers to an important sacred site nearby at Wattie Creek (Daguragu).

Where is Wave Hill in the Northern Territory?

Wave Hill Station is located approximately 600 kilometres south of Darwin in the Northern Territory. Vesteys, a British pastoral company which ran the cattle station, employed local Aboriginal people, mostly Gurindji.