INTRODUCTION Celebrating 50 Years of Advocacy The Aboriginal Tent Embassy This year’s Close the Gap Campaign Report features images of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, celebrating and commemorating 50 years since it was established on the lawns of Old Parliament House in Canberra. It is not only one of the world’s longest continuing protest sites, but a stark reminder for all Australians that Aboriginal sovereignty has never been ceded. In recognition of this landmark anniversary, we acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have dedicated their lives to recognition and protection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land rights, sovereignty and self-determination. History of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy The Aboriginal Tent Embassy, in its original form, consisted of a beach umbrella set on the lawn opposite Australia’s then Parliament House on 26 January 1972. It was named the Aboriginal Embassy by the four men who set it there in protest of the McMahon Government’s approach to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land rights. The embassy took several forms over the years but was permanently re-established on the lawns outside the now Old Parliament House in 1992. Its historic significance was recognised in 2015 when it was included on the Commonwealth Heritage List as part of the Old Parliament House precinct.3 PHOTO: Aboriginal Tent Embassy (AIATSIS) Transforming Power: Voices for Generational Change 11