Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

are the original inhabitants of the

Australian continent The continent of Australia, sometimes known in technical contexts by the names Sahul (), Australia-New Guinea, Australinea, Meganesia, or Papualand to distinguish it from the Australia, country of Australia, is located within the Southern ...

and nearby islands. The Torres Strait Islanders are indigenous to the

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

Islands, which are at the northernmost tip of Queensland near

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. The term "Aboriginal" has traditionally been applied to

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

inhabitants of mainland Australia,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, and some of the other adjacent islands. Since the

colonisation of Australia Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...

in 1788, indigenous Australians have been segregated from European Australians both in their rights and socially within society. The 'firsts' listed in this article contain historical steps that have changed this initial racist segregation both legally and culturally.

17th century

1600s

* 1606 ** First known meeting between Indigenous Australians and Europeans (

Mapoon, Queensland Mapoon is a coastal town in the Aboriginal Shire of Mapoon and a locality split between the Aboriginal Shire of Mapoon and the Shire of Cook in Queensland, Australia. In the , Mapoon had a population of 317 people. History Pre-European settlem ...

18th century

1780s

* 1788 ** First Indigenous Australian to live amongst Europeans:

Arabanoo Arabanoo (b.circa 1758 – d.1789) was an Indigenous Australian man of the Eora forcibly abducted by the European settlers of the First Fleet at Port Jackson on New Year's Eve, 1788, in order to facilitate communication and relations between the ...

1790s

* 1793 ** First Indigenous Australian song performed in Europe:

Bennelong Woollarawarre Bennelong ( 1764 – 3 January 1813), also spelt Baneelon, was a senior man of the Eora, an Aboriginal Australian people of the Port Jackson area, at the time of the first British settlement in Australia in 1788. Bennelong serv ...

Yemmerrawanne Yemmerrawanne ( - 18 May 1794) was a member of the Wangal people, part of the Eora nation in the Port Jackson area at the time of the first British settlement in Australia, in 1788. Along with another Aboriginal man, Bennelong, he accompanied ...

. * 1796 ** First Indigenous Australian to appear in print:

(see also 1949).

19th century

1800s

* 1802 ** First Indigenous Australian to circumnavigate Australia:

Bungaree Bungaree, or Boongaree ( – 24 November 1830), was an Aboriginal Australian from the Guringai people of the Broken Bay north of Sydney, who was known as an explorer, entertainer, and Aboriginal community leader.Barani (2013)Significant Aborig ...

1810s

* 1815 ** First Indigenous Australian to be granted land by the colonial authorities:

1820s

1830s

* 1835 ** First Indigenous Australian to be recorded playing western sport: Shiney (cricket in Hobart). * 1836 ** First publication solely written and published by Indigenous Australians: ''

Flinders Island Chronicle The ''Flinders Island Chronicle'' was an Australian newspaper founded in September 1836 and running until December 1837. It was jointly written and edited by Thomas Brune and Walter George Arthur. Twenty nine editions are currently known of. It ...

'' (twenty-nine editions published).

1840s

1850s

* 1856 ** Indigenous Australian males first given the right to vote in elections (South Australia).

1860s

* 1864 ** First time portions of the Bible published in an Indigenous Australian language (

Ngarrindjeri The Ngarrindjeri people are the traditional Aboriginal Australian people of the lower Murray River, eastern Fleurieu Peninsula, and the Coorong of the southern-central area of the state of South Australia. The term ''Ngarrindjeri'' means "belo ...

). * 1868 ** First Australian cricket team to tour overseas and the first sporting team to represent Australia abroad, is composed of Australian Aboriginal people.Tatz & Tatz, p. 9.

1870s

* 1870 ** First Indigenous Australian to play

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

: Twopenny. * 1871 ** First Indigenous Australian to become a deacon:

James Unaipon James Unaipon, born James Ngunaitponi, (c. 1835 – 1907) was an Australian Indigenous preacher of the Warrawaldie (also spelt Waruwaldi) Lakalinyeri of the Ngarrindjeri. Born James Ngunaitponi, he took the name James Reid in honour of the Sc ...

. * 1872 * 1874 * 1875 * 1876 * 1877 * 1879

1880s

* 1880 * 1881 * 1883 ** First Indigenous Australian to win the

Stawell Gift The Stawell Gift is Australia's oldest and richest short-distance running race. It is the main event in an annual carnival held on Easter weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, with the main race finals on the holiday Monday, at Central Park, St ...

: Bobby Kinnear. * 1884 ** * 1885 ** * 1886 * 1887 * 1888 * 1889 ** First Indigenous Australian to play in a major Australian rules football league,

South Australian Football Association The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...

(now SANFL):

Harry Hewitt Harry Hewitt, sometimes spelled "Hewit", "Ewart" or "Hewett", ( – 23 January 1907) was an Indigenous Australian cricketer and Australian rules footballer. In 1889, Hewitt played for the Medindie Football Club, and so is believed to be the f ...

. ***

1890s

* 1891 * 1892 * 1893 ** First Indigenous Australian to play representative

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

: Frank Ivory (Queensland). * 1895 ** Indigenous Australian women first gain the right to vote in elections (South Australia). * 1896 * 1897 **First translation of the New Testament into an Indigenous Australian language (

Dieri The Diyari (), alternatively transcribed as Dieri (), is an Indigenous Australian group of the South Australian desert originating in and around the delta of Cooper Creek to the east of Lake Eyre. Language Diyari is classified as one of the Ka ...

). * 1899 ** First Indigenous Australian to be recorded:

Fanny Cochrane Smith Fanny Cochrane Smith (December 1834 – 24 February 1905) was an Aboriginal Tasmanian, born in December 1834. She is considered to be the last fluent speaker of the Flinders Island lingua franca, a Tasmanian language, and her wax cylinder recor ...

20th century

1900s

* 1900 ** First Indigenous Australian to regularly play in a major Australian rules football league, West Australian Football Association (now WAFL):

Jimmy Melbourne James Edward Melbourne (''c.'' 1876 – 13 December 1937) was the first Indigenous Australian to play senior Australian rules football in the Western Australian Football Association. Melbourne was orphaned at the age of four and spent his form ...

. * 1901 * 1902 * 1903 * 1904 ** First Indigenous Australian to play in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL): Joe Johnson. * 1906 * 1907 * 1908 * 1909 ** First Indigenous Australian to play first-grade level

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

: George Green.Tatz & Tatz, p. 20.

1910s

* 1910 * 1911 * 1912 ** First Indigenous Australian to win a national boxing title: Jerry Jerome (middleweight). ** First Indigenous Australian to be awarded a medal for gallantry:

Neighbour Neighbour, Neighbor, Neighbours or Neighbors may refer to: * Person who lives in one's neighbourhood * The subject of the Great Commandment Films * Neighbors (1920 film), ''Neighbors'' (1920 film), a short film starring Buster Keaton * Neighbou ...

( Albert Medal). * 1915 * 1916 ** First Indigenous Australian to be awarded the

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...

in World War I :

Maitland Madge Maitland Madge, Military Medal, MM (March 1894 – 7 June 1944) is believed to be the first Indigenous Australians, Indigenous Australian to be awarded the Military Medal in the First World War. Madge also served as a soldier during the Second Wo ...

. * 1917 * 1919 ** First Torres Strait Islanders to be ordained deacons in the Anglican Church of Australia (then called the Church of England in Australia):

Joseph Lui Joseph Lui (died 17 May 1941) was one of the first two Torres Strait Islanders to be ordained a priest in the Anglican Church of Australia (then called the Church of England in Australia) in 1925. Early life Lui was the son of Lui Lifu (also ...

and

Poey Passi Poey Passi (1888 – 2 April 1958) was one of the first two Torres Strait Islanders to be ordained a priest in the Anglican Church of Australia (then called the Church of England in Australia) in 1925. Early life Passi was the son of the last o ...

.Loos, Noel, ''White Christ, Black Cross: The Emergence of a Black Church'', (2007: Aboriginal Studies Press), p 151.

1920s

* 1920 * 1921 * 1924 * 1925 ** First Indigenous Australian to tour abroad as part of open sporting team: Glen Crouch (Queensland rugby league team to New Zealand). ** First Aboriginal Australian to be ordained deacon in the Anglican Church of Australia (then called the Church of England in Australia): James Noble (clergyman). ** First Torres Strait Islanders to be ordained priests in the Anglican Church of Australia (then called the Church of England in Australia):

and

. * 1926 * 1927 ** First Indigenous Australian to have a book published:

David Unaipon David Ngunaitponi (28 September 1872 – 7 February 1967), known as David Unaipon, was an Aboriginal Australian man of the Ngarrindjeri people. He was a preacher, inventor and author. Unaipon's contribution to Australian society helped to bre ...

(''Aboriginal Legends''). * 1928 * 1929 ** First Indigenous Australian to win the World Professional Sprint Championship: Lynch Cooper.

1930s

* 1931 * 1932 ** First literary writing in Indigenous Australian vernacular:

Sam Dintibana Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictional c ...

, in

. * 1934 * 1935 ** First Indigenous Australian to be selected in the Victorian interstate Australian rules team:

Doug Nicholls Sir Douglas Ralph Nicholls, (9 December 1906 – 4 June 1988) was a prominent Aboriginal Australian from the Yorta Yorta people. He was a professional athlete, Churches of Christ pastor and church planter, ceremonial officer and a pioneering ...

. * 1936 * 1937 * 1938 :: First major national Indigenous day of protest: Australia Day protest by the

Aborigines Progressive Association The Aborigines Progressive Association (APA) was an Aboriginal Australian rights organisation in New South Wales that was founded and run by William Ferguson and Jack Patten from 1937 to 1944, and was then revived from 1963 until around 1970 by ...

. * 1939 ** First mass strike of Indigenous Australians:

Cummeragunja walk-off The Cummeragunja walk-off in 1939 was a protest by Aboriginal Australians at the Cummeragunja Station, an Aboriginal reserve in southern New South Wales. Background The Cummeragunja Mission was mostly home to Yorta Yorta people who had been rel ...

1940s

* 1940 * 1941 * 1942 * 1943 * 1944 ** First Indigenous Australian to be commissioned as an officer in the Australian armed forces:

Reg Saunders Reginald Walter Saunders, MBE (7 August 1920 – 2 March 1990) was the first Aboriginal Australian to be commissioned as an officer in the Australian Army. He came from a military family, his forebears having served in the Boer War and th ...

. ** First Indigenous military aviator:

Len Waters Leonard Victor (Len) Waters (20 June 1924 – 24 August 1993) was the first Aboriginal Australian military aviator, and the only one to serve as a fighter pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II.Ha ...

. * 1945 * 1947 * 1948 * 1949 ** First federal electorate named after an Indigenous Australian:

Division of Bennelong The Division of Bennelong is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named after Woollarawarre Bennelong, an Aboriginal man befriended by the first Governor of New South Wale ...

, named in honour of

1950s

* 1950 ** The first named Indigenous Australian to appear on an Australian stamp:

Gwoya Jungarai Gwoya Tjungurrayi (c. 1895 – 28 March 1965), also spelt Gwoya Jungarai, Gwoya Djungarai and Gwoja Tjungarrayi, was a Walpiri-Anmatyerre man of the Northern Territory of Australia. Also known by his nickname One Pound Jimmy, he became the fir ...

. * 1952 * 1953 * 1954 ** First Indigenous nurse in South Australia: Lois (Lowitja) O’Donoghue ** First Indigenous Railway Station Master * 1955 * 1956 * 1957 ** First Indigenous Australian to become an Australian citizen:

Albert Namatjira Albert Namatjira (born Elea Namatjira; 28 July 1902 – 8 August 1959) was an Arrernte painter from the MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia, widely considered one of the greatest and most influential Australian artists. As a pioneer of cont ...

. ** First Indigenous Australian to enrol in university:

Margaret Williams-Weir Margaret Williams-Weir (1940 - 1 October 2015) was an Australian educator, researcher and Royal Canadian Naval officer. Williams-Weir was the List of Indigenous Australian firsts, first Aboriginal person to matriculate to an Australian University ...

. * 1958 ** First Indigenous Australian woman to be selected for a national sporting side: Faith Coulthard (cricket). ** First song written and recorded by Indigenous Australians: "Give the Coloured Boy a Chance" (written by Jimmy Little, Snr and recorded by

Jimmy Little James Oswald Little, AO (1 March 19372 April 2012) was an Australian Aboriginal musician, actor and teacher, who was a member of the Yorta Yorta tribe and was raised on the Cummeragunja Reserve, New South Wales. Little started his profess ...

). * 1959 ** First Indigenous Australian entertainer to appear on television:

. ** First Indigenous Australian to gain a university qualification:

1960s

* 1960 ** First Indigenous Australian to compete at the

Paralympics The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

: Kevin Coombes. ** First Indigenous Australian to represent Australia in rugby league: Lionel Morgan. * 1961 ** First Indigenous Australian to win the

Bay Sheffield A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

Ken Hampton Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in t ...

. ** First Indigenous Australians to represent Australia in basketball: Bennie Lew Fatt and John Bonson. * 1962 ** First Indigenous Australian to win a Gold Medal at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

: Jeff Dynevor (

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...

boxing). ** First Indigenous Australian to release an album: Georgia Lee (''Georgia Lee Sings the Blues Down Under''). ** First Indigenous Australian to represent Australia in rugby union:

Lloyd McDermott Lloyd Clive McDermott (1 November 1939 – 6 April 2019), also known as Mullenjaiwakka, was an Australian barrister and rugby union player. He was the first Australian Aboriginal barrister and the second Aboriginal person to represent his countr ...

. ** Indigenous Australians first given right to enrol to vote in Australian federal elections. ** Indigenous Australians first given right to enrol to vote in Northern Territory elections. * 1963 ** First time Indigenous Australians legally allowed to drink alcohol in New South Wales (30 March). ** First Indigenous Australian to have a number one hit on the Australian music charts:

("Royal Telephone"). ** First documentary recognition of Indigenous Australians in Australian law:

Yirrkala bark petitions The Yirrkala bark petitions, sent by the Yolngu people, an Aboriginal Australian people of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, to the Australian Parliament in 1963, were the first traditional documents prepared by Indigenous Australians that ...

. * 1964 ** First Indigenous Australian to publish a book of verse:

Oodgeroo Noonuccal Oodgeroo Noonuccal ( ; born Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska, later Kath Walker (3 November 192016 September 1993) was an Aboriginal Australian political activist, artist and educator, who campaigned for Aboriginal rights. Noonuccal was best known for ...

('' We Are Going''). ** First Indigenous Australians to compete in an Olympic Games:

Michael Ah Matt Michael Henry George Ah Matt (30 November 1942 – 14 February 1983) was an Indigenous Australian professional basketball player. He played for the Australian national basketball team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Ah Matt was born on 30 November ...

Adrian Blair Adrian Blair (born 21 December 1943) is an Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colo ...

and Frank Roberts. * 1965 ** First Indigenous Australian police officer: Colin Dillon. ** Indigenous Australians first given right to vote in Queensland elections. ** First all-Indigenous Australian contemporary music concert held in Sydney. ** First novel by an Indigenous Australian author to be published in Australia: ''

Wild Cat Falling ''Wild Cat Falling'' is a 1965 novel by Australian author Mudrooroo (Colin Johnson). The novel depicts the life of a former ' bodgie' as he leaves gaol and cynically searches for purpose in life. The author leaves the main character unnamed, alth ...

'' by

Mudrooroo Colin Thomas Johnson (21 August 1938 – 20 January 2019), better known by his nom de plume Mudrooroo, was a novelist, poet, essayist and playwright. He has been described as one of the most enigmatic literary figures of Australia and his man ...

* 1966 ** First Indigenous Australian university degree graduates: Charles Perkins (see also 1984) and Margaret Valadian. ** First Indigenous Australian to be ordained as a Minister of the Methodist Church:

Lazarus Lamilami Lazarus may refer to: People *Lazarus (name), a surname and a given name * Lazarus of Bethany, a Biblical figure described as being raised from the dead by Jesus * Lazarus, a Biblical figure from the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus * Lazar ...

. * 1967 ** Indigenous Australians allowed to be counted in the Australian census (the first census to include Indigenous Australians was 1971). * 1968 ** First Indigenous Australian to become world champion (bantamweight boxing):

Lionel Rose Lionel Edmund Rose MBE (21 June 1948 – 8 May 2011) was an Australian former professional boxer who competed from 1964 to 1976. He held the undisputed WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' bantamweight titles from 1968 to 1969, becoming the first Ind ...

. ** First Indigenous Australian to be named

Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...

** First Indigenous Australian to compete internationally in wrestling: John Kinsella. ** First Indigenous Australian to become a state champion cyclist:

Brian Mansell Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan (given name), Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish language, Irish and Breton language, Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan language, Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. ...

(Tasmania). * 1969 ** First Indigenous Australian to play

List A cricket List A cricket is a classification of the limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competitions in which the numbe ...

: Ian King. ** First legal challenge for Aboriginal title to land: '' Milirrpum v Nabalco''.

1970s

* 1970 ** First Indigenous Australian to play soccer for Australia: Harry Williams. ** First Aboriginal Australian to be ordained priest in the Anglican Church of Australia (then called the Church of England in Australia):

Patrick Brisbane Patrick Brisbane (1926 – 8 November 1974) was the first Aborigine to be ordained a priest in the Anglican Church of Australia (then called the Church of England in Australia) in 1970. Early life Brisbane was born in 1926 in the tribal bushla ...

. * 1971 ** First indigenous Australian to sit in the

Parliament of Australia The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the ...

Neville Bonner Neville Thomas Bonner AO (28 March 19225 February 1999) was an Australian politician, and the first Aboriginal Australian to become a member of the Parliament of Australia. He was appointed by the Queensland Parliament to fill a casual vacancy ...

. ** First play written by an Indigenous Australian performed in mainstream theatre: ''The Cherry Pickers'' by Kevin Gilbert. ** First Indigenous Australian to win a Grand Slam tennis event (

French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...

Evonne Goolagong Evonne Fay Goolagong Cawley (née Goolagong; born 31 July 1951) is an Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. Goolagong was one of the world's leading players in the 1970s and early 1980s. At the age of 19, she won the French Open singl ...

. ** First Australian rules footballer to be honoured with an

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

Graham Farmer Graham Vivian "Polly" Farmer (10 March 1935 14 August 2019) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the East Perth Football Club and West Perth Football Club in th ...

. ** Australian Aboriginal Flag first flown in public (designed by Harold Thomas, the flag was flown in Victoria Square, Adelaide on National Aborigines Day, 12 July). * 1972 ** First Indigenous Australian theatre company formed: "Nindethana" (founded by

Jack Charles Jack Charles (5 September 1943 – 13 September 2022), also known as Uncle Jack Charles, was an Australian stage and screen actor and activist, known for his advocacy for Aboriginal people. He was involved in establishing the first Indigenous t ...

and

Bob Maza Robert Lewis Maza (25 November 1939 – 14 May 2000), known as Bob Maza, was an Aboriginal Australian actor, playwright and activist. Early life and education Robert Lewis Maza was born on Palm Island in North Queensland on 25 November 1939, ...

). ** First Indigenous Australian-produced community radio programs went to air ( 5UV in Adelaide and at the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Media Association (TAIMA) at Mount Stuart, south of Townsville, on 4KIG FM2). ** First Indigenous Australian representative Australian rules team to play overseas (Papua New Guinea). ** First film made by an Indigenous Australian (''Blackfire'', by

Bruce McGuinness Bruce Brian McGuinness (17 June 1939 – 5 September 2003) was an Australian Aboriginal activist. He was active in and led the Victorian Aborigines Advancement League, and is known for founding and running ''The Koorier'', which was the first Ab ...

and Martin Bartfeld). ** First Indigenous Australian to receive a knighthood (

Douglas Nicholls Sir Douglas Ralph Nicholls, (9 December 1906 – 4 June 1988) was a prominent Aboriginal Australian from the Yorta Yorta people. He was a professional athlete, Churches of Christ pastor and church planter, ceremonial officer and a pioneering ...

). * 1973 ** First Indigenous Australian jockey to win the

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

Frank Reys Frank Reys (c.1931–1984) was an Aboriginal Australian jockey. He was the first, and the only Indigenous Australian jockey to win the prestigious Melbourne Cup when, in 1973, he rode to victory on Gala Supreme. Reys' career began in Northe ...

. ** First Indigenous Australian to captain Australia:

Arthur Beetson Arthur Henry "Artie" Beetson OAM (21 January 1945 – 1 December 2011

(Rugby League). ** First television show with an all-Aboriginal cast (''

Basically Black ''Basically Black'' is a 1973 Australian television comedy program, notable as the first television program written and created by Indigenous Australians. It was produced as one of a series of pilot programs called ''The Comedy Game''. A single ...

''). * 1974 ** First Indigenous Australian elected to a state or territory parliament:

Hyacinth Tungutalum Hyacinth Gabriel Tungutalum (14 August 1946 – 7 April 2009) was an Australian politician and the first Indigenous Australian to be elected to a state or territory parliament. A traditional owner on the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin, Tung ...

. * 1975 ** First Indigenous Australian to be employed in Australia's tertiary education sector as a lecturer: Maryann Bin-Salik.''Indigenous Knowledges in a changing world'', Official Program, Charles Darwin Symposium, 2013, Charles Darwin University, Darwin. * 1976 ** First Indigenous Australian to hold

vice-regal A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

office (

Governor of South Australia The governor of South Australia is the representative in South Australia of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the governor-gene ...

): Sir

. ** First Indigenous Australian to be appointed a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in South Australia:

(see also 1961). **First Indigenous Australian Barrister: Patricia O’Shane **First Indigenous Australian woman to be awarded an Order of Australia: Lois (Lowitja) O’Donoghue * 1977 ** First Indigenous Australian to hold a shadow portfolio in a federal, state or territory parliament:

Neville Perkins Neville George Perkins OAM, (born 4 January 1952), is a former Australian politician and public servant. Early life Perkins is the grandson of Hetty Perkins, an Eastern Arrernte elder, and a nephew of Charlie Perkins. He is a descendant of b ...

(Northern Territory). ** First Indigenous Australian to referee a world title boxing match: Trevor Christian. ** First city council to fly the Aboriginal flag (

Newcastle City Council Newcastle City Council is the local government authority for the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne. The council consists of 78 councillors, three for each of the 26 wards in the city. It is currently controlled by the Labou ...

). * 1978 * 1979 ** First Indigenous Australian to represent Australia in volleyball: Mark Tutton. **First woman to be appointed to the New South Wales Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board
Patricia O'Shane
**First Indigenous Principal in Western Australia after being promoted to Principal Class II of Wiluna Special Aboriginal School
Len Hayward

1980s

* 1980 ** First Indigenous Australian to receive a PhD: Bill Jonas. ** First Indigenous Australian to officially address the United Nations:

Jim Hagan James Hagan (born 10 August 1956) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer and football club manager. Career Born in Monkstown, Hagan began his career in Northern Ireland with Larne and was voted Ulster young player of the year in t ...

. * 1981 ** First boxer to become Australian titleholder in four weight divisions: Tony Mundine. ** First feature film starring all-Indigenous Australian cast: ''

Wrong Side of the Road ''Wrong Side of the Road'' is a 1981 low-budget feature film made in South Australia. It is distinctive for being one of the first attempts to bring modern Australian Aboriginal music to a non-Indigenous audience, featuring all-Aboriginal rock r ...

''. **First Aboriginal person and first woman to become a permanent head of ministry in Australia
Patricia O'Shane
* 1982 ** First Indigenous Australian woman to gain a private pilot's licence: Virginia Wykes. ** First Indigenous Australian man to play at

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

: Ian Goolagong (mixed doubles with sister

Evonne Evonne is a given name, an English respelling of Yvonne. Well-known women named Evonne include: * Evonne Goolagong, one of the world's leading women's tennis players in the 1970s and early-1980s * Evonne Hsu, Taiwanese pop singer See also *Evin ...

). ** First Indigenous Australian to win the

Norm Smith Medal The Norm Smith Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best on ground in the Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to 1990 the competition was known as the Victorian Football ...

Maurice Rioli Maurice Joseph Rioli Sr. (1 September 195725 December 2010) was an Australian rules footballer who represented St Mary's Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL), in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and in th ...

.Tatz & Tatz, p. 31. ** First Indigenous Australian to head a state government department (New South Wales Department of Aboriginal Affairs):

Pat O'Shane Patricia June O'Shane (born 19 June 1941) is a retired Australian teacher, barrister, public servant, jurist, and Aboriginal activist. She was Australia's first Aboriginal magistrate, serving the Local Court in Sydney, New South Wales, Austral ...

. * 1983 ** First Indigenous Australian to become a medical doctor: Dr

Helen Milroy Helen Milroy is a consultant psychiatrist with the Western Australia Department of Health, specialising in child and adolescent psychiatry, and director of the Western Australian Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health. She is recognised ...

. * 1984 ** First Indigenous Australian to become permanent head of a federal government department (Department of Aboriginal Affairs): Charles Perkins. (see also 1966) * 1985 ** First Indigenous Australian television station commences: Channel 4

Yuendumu Yuendumu is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia, northwest of Alice Springs on the Tanami Road, within the Central Desert Region local government area. It ranks as one of the larger remote communities in central Australia, and has a t ...

. ** First Indigenous Australian bishop of the

Anglican Church of Australia The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the R ...

: Arthur Malcolm. * 1986 ** First Indigenous Australian

Minister of the Crown Minister of the Crown is a formal constitutional term used in Commonwealth realms to describe a minister of the reigning sovereign or viceroy. The term indicates that the minister serves at His Majesty's pleasure, and advises the sovereign or ...

Ernie Bridge Ernest Francis Bridge, AM (15 December 193631 March 2013) was an Australian parliamentarian and country music singer. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1980 to 2001, representing the electorate of Kimberley, ...

(Western Australia). ** First Indigenous Australian to represent Australia in netball:

Marcia Ella-Duncan Marcia Ella-Duncan Order of Australia, OAM (born 1963) is a former Australian netball player. She became the first Indigenous netballer to represent the Australia national netball team, Australian Diamonds. Personal Ella was born in 1963 in L ...

. * 1987 ** First Indigenous Australian psychologist: Pat Dudgeon. * 1988 * 1989 ** First Indigenous Australian to win the

Magarey Medal The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Willia ...

Gilbert McAdam Gilbert McAdam (born 30 March 1967 in Alice Springs) is an Indigenous Australian former Australian rules football player and one of three McAdam brothers to play in the Australian Football League (AFL). Playing career Early career McAdam grew ...

1990s

* 1990 ** First Indigenous Australian to win an international track medal (bronze, 4 × 400 m relay, 1990 Commonwealth Games):

Cathy Freeman Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman (born 16 February 1973) is an Aboriginal Australian former sprinter, who specialised in the 400 metres event. Her personal best of 48.63 seconds currently ranks her as the ninth-fastest woman of all time, set ...

(see also 1992 and 2000). ** First Indigenous Australian rock opera: ''

Bran Nue Dae __NOTOC__ ''Bran Nue Dae'' is a 1990 musical set in Broome, Western Australia, that tells stories and of issues relating to Indigenous Australians. It was written by Jimmy Chi and his band Kuckles and friends, and was the first Aboriginal Austra ...

''. * 1991 ** First Indigenous Australian woman to represent Australia in hockey: Lorelle Morrissey. * 1992 ** First Indigenous Australian woman to be selected in the Olympic Games:

(see also 1990 and 2000). ** The

Torres Strait Islander Flag The Torres Strait Islander Flag is an official flag of Australia, and is the flag that represents Torres Strait Islander people. It was designed in 1992 by Bernard Namok. It won a local competition held by the Islands Coordinating Council, and ...

is flown for the first time. * 1993 ** First Indigenous Australian to win a

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the " best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by ...

Gavin Wanganeen Gavin Adrian Wanganeen (born 18 June 1973) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), and also for the Port Adelaide Magpies in ...

. *1994 ** First Indigenous Australian to be appointed a university Chancellor:

( University of New England). * 1995 **First Indigenous Australian to graduate as a veterinary surgeon: Joe Schmidt. * 1996 ** First Indigenous Australian to win a Gold Medal at the Olympic Games:

Nova Peris Nova Maree Peris (born 25 February 1971) is an Aboriginal Australian athlete and former politician. As part of the Australian women's field hockey (Hockeyroos) team at the 1996 Olympic Games, she was the first Aboriginal Australian to win an ...

(hockey). ** First Indigenous Australian to play

Test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...

Jason Gillespie Jason Neil Gillespie (born 19 April 1975) is an Australian cricket coach and former cricketer who played all three formats of the game. A right-arm fast bowler, he was also a competent lower-order batsman whose unbeaten 201 in his last Test matc ...

. ** First Indigenous Australian male to represent Australia in hockey: Baeden Choppy. ** First Indigenous Australian to be appointed a judge:

Bob Bellear Robert William "Bob" Bellear (17 June 1944 – 15 March 2005) was an Australian social activist, lawyer and judge who was the first Aboriginal Australian judge. He served as a judge of the District Court of New South Wales from 1996 until his d ...

. * 1997 **First Indigenous performing arts centre:

Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) The Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) is a national Australian institution for the culturally sensitive training of Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people in the performing arts. Founded in 1997, it has been locat ...

** First Indigenous Australian elected to the

International Rugby Hall of Fame The International Rugby Hall of Fame (IRHOF) was a hall of fame for rugby union. It was created in 1997 in New Zealand and is run as a charitable trust with an address at Chiswick in London. Most of the trustees are also inductees. IRHOF acc ...

Mark Ella Mark Gordon Ella, AM (born 5 June 1959) is an indigenous Australian former rugby union footballer. Ella played at flyhalf/five-eighth and was capped by the Wallabies 25 times, captaining Australia on 10 occasions. Ella made his debut tour wit ...

. * 1998 * 1999 ** First Indigenous Australian to become

Miss Australia Miss Australia was the title for the winner of the Miss Australia Quest or the Miss Australia Awards, which ran from 1954 until 2000, when the last Miss Australia was named. From 2002, the Miss World Australia contest has been held, and the Miss ...

Kathryn Hay Kathryn Isobel Hay (born 24 November 1975 in Launceston) is an Australian Labor politician and former member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly in the electorate of Bass. She was first elected in the 2002 election. Hay was the first woman of ...

. * 2000 ** First Indigenous Australian to win an individual Olympic gold medal (400m, 2000 Summer Olympics):

(see also 1990 and 1992).

21st century

2000s

* 2001 ** First Indigenous Australian woman elected to an Australian parliament: Carol Martin. * 2002 * 2003 ** First Indigenous Australian woman Minister of the Crown:

Marion Scrymgour Marion Rose Scrymgour (born 13 September 1960) is an Australian politician and the current MP for Lingiari. She was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2012, representing the electorate of Arafura. She was th ...

. ** First Indigenous Nurse Practitioner Australia: Lesley Salem **First Indigenous medical practitioner to be awarded a

Doctorate of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

Sandra Eades Sandra Eades (born 1967) is a Noongar physician, researcher and professor, and the first Aboriginal medical practitioner to be awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy in 2003. As of March 2020 she is Dean of Medicine at Curtin University. Early li ...

. * 2004 * 2005 * 2006 ** First Indigenous Australian surgeon:

Kelvin Kong The kelvin, symbol K, is the primary unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), used alongside its prefixed forms and the degree Celsius. It is named after the Belfast-born and University of Glasgow-based engineer and phys ...

. * 2007 * 2008 ** First Indigenous Australian to play in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA):

Nathan Jawai Nathan Leon Jawai (born 10 October 1986) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Darwin Salties of the NBL1 North. Standing at 209 cm, he plays at the Power forward (basketball), power forward and Center (basketball), centre ...

. * 2009 ** First Indigenous Australian woman to become an Anglican remote area priest: Yulki Nunggumajbarr.

2010s

* 2010 ** First Indigenous Australian woman elected to a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

body:

Megan Davis Megan Jane Davis is an Aboriginal Australian activist and international human rights lawyer. She was the first Indigenous Australian to sit on a United Nations body, and was Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Davis is Pro vice ...

(Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues). ** First Indigenous Australians to set foot on

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

: Narelle Long and

Malcolm Lynch Malcolm Lynch (born 16 March 1988) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with the North Melbourne Football Club and the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from the Tiwi Islands in ...

. ** First Indigenous Australian to play international

Twenty20 cricket Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inning ...

Dan Christian Daniel Trevor Christian (born 4 May 1983) is an Australian professional cricketer with Aboriginal ancestry. He is considered to be a Twenty20 cricket specialist and has played for franchises all over the globe. Christian is known as a powerfu ...

(Australia vs West Indies). ** First Indigenous Australian elected to the Australian House of Representatives:

Ken Wyatt Kenneth George Wyatt (born 4 August 1952) is a former Australian politician who was a member of the House of Representatives from 2010 to 2022, representing the Division of Hasluck for the Liberal Party. He is the first Indigenous Australian el ...

. * 2011 ** First Indigenous Australian

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

: Rebecca Richards. * 2012 ** First Indigenous Australian woman archdeacon in the Anglican Church: Karen Kime. ** First Indigenous Australian to join golf's

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

Scott Gardiner Scott Gardiner (born 22 March 1976) is an Australian professional golfer. Gardiner has played on the PGA Tour of Australasia and its developmental tour, the Von Nida Tour, where he won once. He played on the European Tour from 2001 to 2003. He ...

. ** First Indigenous Australian to study at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

: Lilly Brown. ** First Indigenous Australian appointed to a federal court: Matthew Myers. * 2013 ** First Indigenous Australian to become a head of government:

Adam Giles Adam Graham Giles (born 10 April 1973) is an Australian former politician and former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory (2013–2016) as well as the former leader of the Country Liberal Party (CLP) in the unicameral Northern Territory Par ...

(Northern Territory). ** First Indigenous Australian appointed as head of an overseas mission:

Damien Miller Damien Patrick Miller is an Australian career diplomat and the first Indigenous Australian to head an List of diplomatic missions of Australia, Australian diplomatic mission. Early life and education Miller belongs to the Biri language, Gangul ...

(Denmark). ** First time Aboriginal flag flown over an overseas military base (

Al Minhad Air Base Al Minhad Air Base ( ar, قاعدة المنهاد الجوية, , also just Minhad Air Base) is a military installation in the United Arab Emirates. The base is located approximately south of Dubai and is operated by the United Arab Emirates Air ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

). ** First Indigenous Australian woman elected to Australian parliament:

. * 2015 ** First Indigenous Australian woman elected to the

Queensland Parliament The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...

Leeanne Enoch Leeanne Margaret Enoch is an Australian politician currently serving as the Minister for Communities and Housing and Minister for the Arts and Digital Economy of Queensland. She has also served as the Labor Party member for Algester in the Quee ...

. ** First Indigenous Australian to be appointed a federal frontbench minister:

. ** First Indigenous Australian to become a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

Tony McAvoy Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

. **First Indigenous Australian woman to be ordained to Christian ministry in South Australia:

Denise Mary Champion Denise Mary Champion (born 1957) is an Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal Australian deacon in the Uniting Church in Australia who serves as an outreach worker. She was the first Aboriginal woman from South Australia to be ordained in any Chri ...

* 2016 **First Indigenous Australian woman elected to Australian House of Representatives:

Linda Burney Linda Jean Burney (born 25 April 1957) is an Australian politician and is an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing Barton since the 2016 federal election. She is Minister for Indigenous Australi ...

. **First Indigenous Australian to win the X Factor:

Isaiah Firebrace Isaiah Firebrace (born 21 November 1999) is an Australian singer who won the eighth season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2016. He then represented Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Don't Come Easy", where he finish ...

. *2017 ** First Indigenous Australian to be appointed a minister in the Commonwealth Government:

(Minister for Indigenous Health). *2018 ** First Indigenous Australian to compete in a

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

Harley Windsor Harley Windsor (''né'' Dahlstrom-Windsor; born 22 October 1996) is an Australian pair skater. With his former skating partner, Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya, he is the 2017 Junior World Champion, the 2017 CS Tallinn Trophy champion, the 2017 CS ...

(

Figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

). *2019 **Twelve year old Indigenous Australian Dujuan Hoosan becomes the youngest person to address the

UN Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...

2020s

*2020 ** First Indigenous Australian to win

AFLW AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 1 ...

Best and Fairest:

Madison Prespakis Madison Prespakis (born 2 November 2000) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Essendon Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Carlton Football Club from 2019 to 2022. A midfielder who won multiple ...

Notes

References

* Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association (2009), ''Journeys into Medicine'', AIDA: Sydney. . * Gale, M-A. (1997) ''Dhanum Djorra'wuy Dhawu'', Aboriginal Research Institute: Underdale. . * McMillan, A. (2007) ''An Intruder's Guide to East Arnhem Land'', Niblock Publishing: Darwin. . * Rolfe, C. (2009) ''Winners of the Melbourne Cup: Stories That Stopped a Nation'', Red Dog Books: Sydney. . * Screen Australia (2010) ''The Black List'', Screen Australia: Sydney. . * Tatz, C. & Tatz, P. (1996) ''Black Diamonds'', Allen & Unwin: Sydney. . * Tatz, C. & Tatz, P. (2000) ''Black Gold'', Aboriginal Studies Press: Canberra. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Indigenous Australian firsts Lists of firsts

Firsts First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...