Bark Petitions Signalled Beginning of Lands Right Fight

An Aboriginal flag is held aloft during a Black Lives Matter protest to express solidarity with U.S. protesters and demand an end to Aboriginal deaths in custody in Perth, Australia, on June 13, 2020. Trevor Collens/AFP via Getty Images

As Australians count down to the national referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, the path to the historic vote can be traced back to a significant event 60 years ago.

On August 14, 1963, two petitions, one on bark and one on paper, were tabled in the House of Representatives in Canberra.