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Aboriginal Tent Embassy

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The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a valid, thought-provoking and peaceful protest movement which, although not entirely successful, remains an important means of keeping indigenous issues in the public focus. YET TO FINISH INTRO

The Aboriginal Tent Embassy was erected to campaign for a valid, thought-provoking cause using peaceful means. The Embassy’s creation on January 26, 1972 launched a campaign for land and royalties after Prime Minister McMahon announced that the government would not recognise land rights through legislation. (Schaap, n.d.) (Leslie, 2012) When the Tent Embassy was first erected, the indigenous peoples of Australia agitated in the Yolngu statement for “Title to [their] land, a direct share of all royalties paid by Nabalco, …show more content…

Isobell Coe, one of a number of Koories who were instrumental in the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, stated that the first real achievement came, “After the first protest people just kept coming back and eventually [they] outnumbered the police, and [they] just kept coming back.” (“The Aboriginal Tent Embassy 28 Years After it was Established” n.d.) When the Mcmahon government was replaced by a Labor government a major symbolic victory unfolded when new PM, Whitlam, and Member for ACT Kep Enderby (Robinson, n.d.) sat down at the Tent Embassy with those who were campaigning (see appendix 1) and agreed to their act on their concerns. Real achievements followed when Whitlam dropped the charges against activists over the Tent Embassy protests (“Tent Embassy 1972: ‘Land rights or else,’”2012) and eradicated assimilation as official policy, creating the first Department of Aboriginal Affairs. Enderby later stated that, “This support started the process that eventually led to the Aboriginal Land Rights Act” (“Timeline: Aboriginal Tent Embassy,”2013) which was the keystone to make possible the Mabo Decision and all that …show more content…

The Tent Embassy aimed to receive a direct share of all royalties paid by Nabalco, and royalties from all other businesses on the Aboriginal Reserves. (“Yolngu Statement”, n.d.) As Leader of the Opposition in early 1972, Gough Whitlam claimed his government would allow ''ownership of land by tribal communities” but on this matter Gary Foley (“The Aboriginal Tent Embassy 28 Years After it was Established” n.d.) stated that, ''When [Whitlam] did grant land rights, it was for a tiny crew in the Northern Territory because Whitlam was too gutless” (Jopson, 2012). Foley seems to suggest that Whitlam wasn’t sufficiently moved by the Embassy to make bigger changes. Whereas Foley once claimed that “The tent embassy was the most successful protest in our history, primarily because of its innovative nature and it captured the imagination of the Australian public . . . by appealing to the larrikin streak,” he now believes that he “did not care if it was torn down …[it has] functioned to alienate the broader public.” (Moscaritolo, n.d.) Increasingly, the public see the Embassy as an eyesore and when former PM Abbott declared that the Embassy should move on, there was little mainstream reaction. Not only has the Embassy failed to sustain the public imagination, it has also

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