1901 – Australian Federation occurs. Aboriginal people are explicitly excluded from being counted in the population, and states (but not territories) are given sole power over Indigenous policy.
1967 – A referendum to give the federal government the power to make laws for Aboriginal people and count them in the census succeeds. The following year then-prime minister John Gorton appoints a minister for Aboriginal affairs for the first time.
1973 – The Whitlam government sets up the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and the democratically elected National Aboriginal Consultative Committee (NACC) to advise the government.
1975 – The Fraser government is elected and launches a review of the NACC.
1977 – The Fraser government replaces the NACC with the National Aboriginal Conference (NAC), which has a different representative structure but performs the same advisory role.
1979 – The NAC calls for self-determination and a treaty between the government and an Indigenous nation.
1980 – The Fraser government establishes the Aboriginal Development Commission (ADC) to oversee programs.
1983 – The Hawke government is elected with a commitment to restructure the NAC in order to increase its effectiveness.
1985 – The Hawke government abolishes the NAC after an audit finds serious deficiencies in its financial administration.
1990 – The Hawke government establishes the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). It has both a representative arm like NACC and NAC and an administrative arm that replaces the ADC.
2002 – Amid reports of poor management within ATSIC’s existing structure, and debate over the perceived potential for conflicts of interest in decision-making, the Howard government commissions a review.
2003 – The Howard government announces a new executive agency, ATSIS, will administer ATSIC’s programs and make individual decisions about grants and other funding to Indigenous organisations.
2003 – A review of ATSIC commissioned by the Howard government the previous year delivers its final report. It recommends an overhaul of the organisation’s representative structure, increased emphasis on regional planning processes, and a permanent delineation between the representative and administrative arms.
2004 – The Howard government announces it will abolish ATSIC. This takes effect in 2005 with the support from Labor.
2012-2017 – The Recognise campaign pushes for symbolic recognition for First Nations people in the Australian Constitution.
2007 – The Rudd government apologises for the stolen generations, long-running policies that resulted in the widescale removal of Aboriginal children from their families.
2014 – The Abbott government announces the Indigenous Advancement Strategy, which centralises federal spending on Indigenous programs under the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
2017 – The Uluru constitutional convention issued the Uluru Statement from the Heart rejecting symbolism, and calling for Voice, Treaty, Truth.
2017 – The Turnbull government rejected the Uluru Statement from the Heart, five months late, saying a Voice to Parliament would not be “either desirable or capable of winning acceptance in a referendum”.
2022 – The Albanese government commits to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, and announces a referendum on the Voice will likely be held in 2023.
