Significant Dates for Indigenous Australians in May

May is a month of deep reflection in Australia’s shared history - marking events that speak to both the enduring impacts of colonisation and the extraordinary resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

From frontier violence and cultural loss to hard-won civil rights and moments of national reckoning, these dates remind us that the journey toward truth, justice and reconciliation is ongoing.

May 1795 – Massacre of Bidjigal people, Darug Nation

In May 1795, British settlers carried out a violent attack on the Bidjigal people of the Darug Nation along the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales. Sanctioned by Lieutenant Governor William Paterson, the assault resulted in the deaths of at least seven Aboriginal people, with others - including women and children - captured and imprisoned.

This atrocity foreshadowed the widespread dispossession, frontier violence and disruption of culture that would follow colonial expansion across the continent.

8 May 1876 – Death of Truganini

Truganini, a Palawa woman from Lutruwita (Tasmania), lived through one of the most devastating periods in Australian history, witnessing the violence of the Black War and the forced removal of her people to Flinders Island.

Often misrepresented as “the last Tasmanian,” her story is not one of disappearance, but of survival and resistance.

Before her death, Truganini asked for her remains to be treated with dignity and her ashes scattered in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. Instead, her body was exhumed and displayed in a museum. Nearly a century later, in 1976, her community finally honoured her wishes - returning her to Country in a powerful act of cultural justice.

21 May 1962 – Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962

The passage of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962 marked a turning point in Australia’s democracy, granting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples the right to enrol and vote in federal elections.

While voting was not made compulsory for Indigenous Australians at that time, the legislation represented a significant step toward dismantling systemic exclusion and recognising First Nations peoples as participants in the national political process.

27 May 1967 – 1967 Australian referendum

The 1967 Australian referendum remains one of the most important milestones in the nation’s history. More than 90% of Australians voted to amend the Constitution - allowing the federal government to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to include them in the national census.

While it did not grant citizenship or voting rights (as is often misunderstood), it symbolised a powerful shift in public consciousness and laid the groundwork for future reforms.

26 May 1997 – Bringing Them Home Report

The Bringing Them Home Report, tabled in Parliament on 26 May 1997, exposed the devastating truth of the Stolen Generations - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families under government policies.

The report documented the profound trauma experienced across generations and called for reparations, formal apologies and systemic change. It remains a cornerstone of Australia’s reconciliation movement and a vital document for truth-telling.

24 May 2020 – Destruction of Juukan Gorge rock shelters

On 24 May 2020, mining company Rio Tinto destroyed the ancient rock shelters at Juukan Gorge - a site of profound cultural, archaeological and spiritual significance to the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura peoples.

Dating back more than 46,000 years, the shelters contained rare artefacts and evidence of continuous human occupation. Their destruction, carried out to access high-grade iron ore, sparked global outrage and exposed critical failures in Australia’s heritage protection laws.

As Wuthathi-Meriam legal scholar Terri Janke observed, the world lost access to an irreplaceable body of cultural knowledge. The incident continues to stand as a stark reminder of the need for stronger protections and genuine respect for Traditional Owners’ rights.

27 May 2025 – Death in custody of Kumanjayi White

In May 2025, a 24-year-old Warlpiri man, known as Kumanjayi White - a cultural name used following his passing - died in custody after being restrained by two plain-clothed Northern Territory police officers inside a Coles supermarket in Mparntwe (Alice Springs).

The incident followed a confrontation with security staff. During the restraint, he lost consciousness and later died, prompting widespread grief, outrage and renewed national attention on Aboriginal deaths in custody.

His family, led by his grandfather Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, along with community advocates, have called for transparency, including the release of CCTV and body-worn camera footage, as well as an independent investigation into the actions of those involved.

As of early 2026, the investigation remains unresolved. Northern Territory Police have confirmed that an external review into the use of force has now been completed and is being assessed as part of a brief to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will determine whether charges will be laid.

The slow pace of the investigation has drawn criticism from family, community leaders and politicians, highlighting long-standing concerns about accountability, the practice of police investigating police, and the broader systemic issues surrounding the treatment of First Nations people in custody.

Kumanjayi White’s death has become a powerful and painful reminder that the calls for justice made over decades - including those following the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody - remain unresolved.

26 May 2026 – National Sorry Day

Observed annually on 26 May, National Sorry Day acknowledges the grief, suffering and loss endured by the Stolen Generations.

It is a day of remembrance, reflection and commitment - honouring the strength of survivors and inviting all Australians to engage in the ongoing work of healing and reconciliation through education, truth-telling and meaningful action.

Conclusion

The dates we commemorate each May - marked by sorrow, resistance, reform and resilience - trace a powerful narrative of survival and strength.

They remind us that Australia’s history is not confined to the past. Its legacy lives on in the present, shaping our responsibilities for the future.

From the violence of the colonial frontier to contemporary deaths in custody, and from political exclusion to landmark civil rights victories, the work of reconciliation remains unfinished.

True reconciliation requires more than acknowledgment. It demands accountability, the protection of cultural heritage, and a commitment to justice led by First Nations voices.