Yirrkala Bark Petitions

Yirrkala Bark Petitions. House of Representatives

On this day, 14 August 1963, the Yirrkala Bark Petitions were presented to the House of Representatives in what was the first formal assertion of native title. Written in both English and the Gupapuyngu language, the petitions protested the Menzies Government’s decision to release 140 square miles of Arnhem Land Reserve to a foreign-owned mining company, without consulting the Yolngu people who lived there. In response Menzies set up a Select Committee to inquire into the grievances of the local Aborigines, and this recommended the protection of sacred sites and compensation for lost livelihood. Such recognition was a landmark achievement, and an important step towards Indigenous Australians taking their rightful place in Parliament and having their rights acknowledged. The Yolngu eventually received native title to their land according to the terms of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, though the mine itself was excluded from this grant.