20th century The rights and political movements associated with Indigenous sovereignty vary significantly and there is no consensus as to what recognising Indigenous sovereignty would entail. Some earlier activists raised the possibility of full secession from Australia; however, most sought a different level of autonomy within the State. Others call for reparations, self-governance and the ability to live under traditional law unimpeded, with any future interactions between Australia and Indigenous nations to be at a minimum. The recognition of an Indigenous nation under the
Commonwealth has been compared with the shared responsibility and sovereignty between the states and territories and the federal government. From the 1920s until the
1967 referendum, the struggle for the rights of Indigenous Australians was expressed in terms of demands for full citizenship rights. The
Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 (Cth) granted nominal citizenship to Indigenous Australians, however the vast array of discriminatory laws and practices meant that they were citizens in name only. Only following the
civil rights movement in Australia along with the passage of the
Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) did explicit discriminatory laws end. However, the use of the citizenship framework to agitate for rights was not uncontroversial as this framework implicitly recognised and affirmed the authority of the Australian state. There remained great suspicion that civil rights were granted as a part of a broader cultural assimilation project by the State. Following the 1967 referendum, greater emphasis was placed on Indigenous sovereignty to call for greater self-autonomy and
self-determination. New activists emerged, challenging the assumptions of the previous generation by conceptualising their struggle as that of an oppressed people rather than as minority group seeking inclusion. In 1972, the
Aboriginal Tent Embassy was established on the steps of
Old Parliament House in
Canberra, the Australian capital, to demand recognition of the sovereignty of
Aboriginal Australian peoples. Demands of the Tent Embassy have included
land rights and
mineral rights to Aboriginal lands, legal and political control of the
Northern Territory, and compensation for land stolen. In 1979 author and activist
Kevin Gilbert led the "National Aboriginal Government" protest on
Capital Hill, Canberra, calling for acceptance of Aboriginal sovereignty. In 1988, the
Australian Bicentenary, the "Aboriginal Sovereign Treaty '88 Campaign" called for recognition of Aboriginal sovereignty and for a treaty to be enacted between the
Commonwealth of Australia and Aboriginal nations under international law. Gilbert became chair of the Treaty '88 campaign. He defined the legal argument for a treaty or treaties and Aboriginal sovereignty in his 1987 work
Aboriginal Sovereignty, Justice, the Law and Land. remains a symbol of Aboriginal protest relating to various Indigenous issues. Protests have been held there against
Aboriginal deaths in custody, the
Howard government's 2007
Northern Territory Intervention, and cuts to services. In 2020, its most prominent issues are Aboriginal sovereignty and an acknowledgement of
Indigenous right to self-determination. In February 2012,
barrister and 2009
Australian of the Year Mick Dodson addressed
Parliament on the subject of "
Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians". He raised three issues: an acknowledgement in the Constitution that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were in Australia first and also in possession of the country, when the
British Crown asserted its sovereignty over the whole continent, and it follows that the land was taken without consent; the second was about issues of
Aboriginal identity being respected and protected within the Constitution and
Australian law; and the third element related to equal citizenship under law. In March 2013, the
Murrawarri Republic, comprising parcels of land in
New South Wales and
Queensland, announced its independence from Australia, which is not recognised nor acknowledged by the
Government of Australia. They issue their own postage stamps and currency. The document also calls for constitutional changes and reform such that "this ancient sovereignty can shine through as a fuller expression of Australia's nationhood". The reforms sought are a constitutional amendment to provide for an
Indigenous Voice to Parliament, a
Makarrata Commission to engage in agreement making between governments and First Nations, and a
truth-telling process. As part of the debate over the Voice,
Lidia Thorpe, an independent senator originally elected as a
Green, expressed concerns that the Voice model would impact Indigenous sovereignty. However, government ministers, constitutional and international law scholars, and Voice advocates such as
Megan Davis and
Noel Pearson say that these concerns were baseless.
Blak sovereignty After defecting from the
Australian Greens in February 2023 ahead of the referendum, Lidia Thorpe said that she wished to lead the "Blak sovereignty" movement, and called for a
treaty with First Nations to be signed before the implementation of the Voice. Her idea of Blak sovereignty includes the creation of a Blak Republic (as a replacement of the current constitutional monarchy) with shared sovereignty and equal power between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians as an ultimate goal. Her concept of sovereignty refers not just to the "native title definition that our sovereignty is a spiritual notion", but also "a position of power in this country that we've always had and that we will always have until we come to a peace agreement to be able to unite this country once and for all". ==Related issues==