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.

The Arnhem Land Reserve had been established in 1931, with the intention of not only providing an area for the Yolngu people to live, but also to protect the area’s pristine natural environment. The Reserve was not managed by the government, and so gave the local Indigenous people a level of autonomy that many of their counterparts did not enjoy at the time.

In 1952 the Australian Aluminium Production Commission discovered large quantities of valuable bauxite in Melville Bay, north of Yirrkala. The economic value of the discovery led the Menzies Government to allow the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly to change the Mining Ordinance 1939–1960 to allow the Administrator of the Northern Territory to grant mining rights to companies on Aboriginal reserves.

This was a time period in which the immense value of Australia’s mineral wealth was first being realised, helping to diversify national exports so that they no longer relied as heavily on agricultural goods, which were particularly vulnerable to volatile international markets. This economic revolution was of immense benefit to hundreds of thousands of Australians, and helped to underpin the prosperity of not just the Menzies era, but the decades which followed it. However, at the same time, the rapid expansion bred a level of excitement and eagerness that could overlook the potential negative consequences of new mining projects, particularly when it came to remote Indigenous communities.

This is what happened in the case of Yirrkala. In February 1963 Menzies announced that the federal government had approved plans for a mine to be built in north-east Arnhem Land, next to Yirrkala. A lease was signed with the Gove Bauxite Corporation, a subsidiary of French mining company Pechiney, all without the knowledge or consent of the Yolngu people.

The latter were naturally outraged, not only that they would lose a huge section of their Reserve, but also that it would be subject to intense environmental degradation. It was a mission by two Opposition members, Kim Beazley and Gordon Bryant, who visited Arnhem Land in July 1963, which inspired the local Indigenous people to express their concerns by means of a petition to Parliament.

The ornate petition was printed on paper and then glued to pieces of bark which were painted in traditional fashion, with four copies being made. Signed by nine men and three women, the petition stated that 500 people were residents of the land that was being removed and that sacred sites in the area were vital to the culture and prosperity of the locals. The petition asked parliament to appoint a committee to hear the views of the Yolngu, and insisted that no arrangements be entered into with any company which would destroy their livelihoods and independence.

In response to the petition, 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.

Further Reading:

‘Defining Moments: Yirrkbala Bark Petitions’, National Museum of Australia, Yirrkala bark petitions | National Museum of Australia (nma.gov.au)

Commonwealth of Australia, House of Representatives, Report of the Select Committee on Grievances of Yirrkala Aborigines, Arnhem Land Reserve 1963, AGPS, Canberra, 1963.