Highmount Preschool respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, learn and play, and pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
Important Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dates:
13 February: National Apology to the Stolen Generation Anniversary
On 13 February 2008, a historical national apology was delivered by the Australian Parliament to Australia’s Stolen Generations.
26 May: Sorry Day
Sorry Day was established following the publication of the Bringing Them Home report. The report was produced by the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families and was tabled in Federation Parliament on 26 May 1997. The report made 54 recommendations on a wide range of issues, including one which called for a community-based National Sorry Day Committee to be established.\
27 May: Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum
The 1967 referendum saw more than 90 per cent of eligible Australians vote yes to two changes in the Australian Referendum – to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the national census of the population and to give the Australian Government the power to make uniform, specific laws about Indigenous people (rather than individual states making their own laws). Legislation reflecting the referendum was enacted on 10 August 1967. The 40th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum was celebrated in 2007.
27 May to 3 June: National Reconciliation Week
National Reconciliation Week celebrates the rich culture and history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It’s an ideal time for everyone to join the reconciliation conversation and to think about how we can help turn around the disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
3 June: Mabo Day
On 3 June 1992, the High Court of Australia handed down its decision on Mabo v the State of Queensland (No. 2), a native title claim by Eddie Mabo and others on behalf of the Meriam People of Murray Island, Queensland. The High Court’s decision rejected the notion of Australia as terra nullius, meaning empty land or land belonging to nobody, at the time of European arrival and colonisation.
The term Native title was used to describe and recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may have existing rights and interests in the land and waters, according to traditional laws and customs that have survived beyond European arrival; and that these rights can be recognised by the common law. In the Torres Strait region, Mabo Day is recognised as a public holiday.
July: NAIDOC Week
NAIDOC celebrations are held around Australia in July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. NAIDOC originally stood for the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee and a committee that was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week. The committee’s acronym has evolved into the name of the week itself.
4 August: National Aboriginal and Islander Children’s Day
National Aboriginal and Islander Children’s Day is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
9 August: International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
On 9 August 1982, the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations was held in Geneva. In 1994, the General Assembly of the United Nations decided to celebrate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People on this date every year.