Gurinji Walkout at Wave Hill Station

Gurinji Walkout at Wave Hill Station. Following a decision of the Arbitration Commission in 1965 that industrial law applies equally to all Australians, and thus Aboriginal stockmen are entitled to full wages, a lobby group from the pastoralist industry in the NT convinces the Commission that immediate implementation will have a disastrous effect on the industry. The Commission agrees to defer its ruling for 3 years. This leads to the August 1966 walk-off (strike) of Gurindji stockmen and their families from the Wave Hill station run by the Vestey company in England. This spurs on wider land rights and civil rights campaigns. This includes Gurindji participation in the Sydney May Day March in 1971. The return of Gurindji to their traditional land at Wattie Creek leads to the first Land Rights legislation in the NT. (Arwarbukarl Cultural Resource Association, ACRA)