More than 500 First Nations groups inhabit the continent - about 750,000 people.
Captain Cook declares the land terra nullius - nobody’s land.
The First Fleet anchors in what is now called Sydney Cove on January 26.
1800s - First Nations population is diminishing: mass shootings, people driven off cliffs, food laced with arsenic, frontier wars and the introduction of disease.
It’s estimated the First Nations population has been reduced by 90%.
Australia officially becomes its own nation. Parliament introduces the White Australia Policy.
First Nations people are referenced twice in the Constitution: to state they won’t be counted in the census and that they need “special laws”.
Many First Nations children are forcibly taken from their families.
The Australian Natives Association (white Australian men) campaigns to make the Monday closest to January 26 a public holiday for Australia Day.
A ‘Day of Mourning and Protest’ is organised as Sydney celebrates 150 years of colonisation.
Student Action for Aborigines (SAFA) organises a bus tour of outback NSW, uncovering racism in rural communities.
90% of Australians vote “Yes” to amend two parts of the Constitution that exclude First Nations people.
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is established on the lawns of Parliament House.
The Aboriginal flag becomes widely adopted.
Australians cease to be British subjects. 'Advance Australia Fair' replaces 'God Save the Queen' as the national anthem.
The arrival of the First Fleet is re-enacted for the bicentennial in Sydney. This is labelled offensive and hasn't been allowed since.
Australians march together in Sydney to celebrate the survival of First Nations Peoples and cultures.
The first national Australia Day public holiday is observed.
Certain local councils try to change the date of their citizenship ceremonies. They are forced by the government to change them back. Some are even stripped of their rights to hold citizenship ceremonies.
Record numbers of people attend Invasion and Survival Day protests around the country.
Several councils around the nation have stopped celebrating Australia Day on January 26.
A majority of people surveyed in the Australia Talks National Survey 2021 agree that Australia Day shouldn’t be celebrated on January 26, given the historical significance of the date for First Nations people.