In 1945 at the end of the Second World War, Dr H. V. Evatt led a delegation, which included Jessie Street, to the founding meeting of the United Nations. In 1948 he was elected as President of the United Nations and in the same year the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, which Evatt had helped to write, was signed by Australia. Also in 1948 the Commonwealth enacted the Nationality and Citizenship Act (later to become the Australian Citizenship Act 1948). Under the 1948 Act, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians, born here, became citizens of Australia rather than British subjects.
But in the 40s and 50s, the Commonwealth and the states still denied full citizenship rights to Indigenous peoples. For example legislative discrimination still existed in the States and the Commonwealth - Indigenous Australians did not have the right to vote in Commonwealth elections until 1962. In Queensland Indigenous Australians were not given the vote in state elections until 1965.
Mick Dodson, Inspirational Speech, Corroboree 2000. Courtesy Reconciliation Australia