Our Common Bond
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: what the test expects
Ten questions on the first Australians, drawn from Part 1 of the booklet and its glossary. The protocol tool below compares the two ceremonies people mix up.
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| Practice set of 10 questions, target 75% |
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Practice questions adapted by Radif Partners from Our Common Bond. Not the official test questions.
Questions adapted from Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0, by Radif Partners.
Our Common Bond opens its testable section with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Australia's first inhabitants, whose cultures and traditions are described as the oldest continuous ones in the world. Aboriginal people come historically from mainland Australia and Tasmania, and the archaeological record dates their arrival to between 40,000 and 65,000 years ago, while their own creation stories begin with the beginning of time. Torres Strait Islander people come from the islands between the northern tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea. Their connection with the land lives in stories, art and dance. The booklet adds that more than 100 distinct Indigenous languages are valued, that Indigenous peoples make up about 3 per cent of the population, and that they were counted in official population estimates only after the 1967 Referendum. Two protocols, Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country, show respect for them. Our bank has 12 questions on this topic.
Welcome or Acknowledgement of Country?
Given by
an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander custodian of the area
| When | usually the first item of an event |
| Forms | songs, dances, smoking ceremonies, speeches |
| Language | traditional language or English |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
The facts to know, in one list
- First inhabitants. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were here first, and their cultures are the oldest continuous cultures and traditions in the world.
- Two origins. Aboriginal people: mainland and Tasmania. Torres Strait Islander people: the islands between Queensland's northern tip and Papua New Guinea.
- Time. 40,000 to 65,000 years ago according to archaeology; Australia Day material in the booklet speaks of about 65,000 years.
- Connection to land. Expressed through stories, art and dance; age-old beliefs still guide communities today.
- Languages. more than 100 distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, valued alongside English.
- Share of population. About 3 per cent, according to the glossary.
- Counting. Included in official population estimates after the 1967 Referendum.
Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country
These two protocols are the part of this topic most likely to trip you up, because their names are close and they often happen at the same event. The comparison tool under this section sets them side by side. In short:
| Welcome to Country | Acknowledgement of Country | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gives it | an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander custodian of the local area | anyone; at meetings, often the chair or master of ceremonies |
| When | usually the first item, opening the event | during the opening welcome and housekeeping |
| Form | songs, dances, smoking ceremonies or speeches, in traditional language or English | a spoken statement |
| Purpose | traditionally, to give visitors a safe and protected journey on that land | to recognise the land, respect Traditional Custodians and Elders past and present |
Both are performed to show respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. A simple way to remember the difference: a Welcome is given by the hosts, an Acknowledgement can be given by a guest.
Where this topic appears elsewhere
Indigenous Australians are not confined to the opening pages. The national symbols page covers the Australian Aboriginal Flag (black for the people, red for the earth, yellow for the sun) and the Torres Strait Islander Flag (green land, blue sea, black for the people, a white headdress and a white star). The opal legend, in which a rainbow touching the earth made the stone's colours, is Aboriginal. Australia Day, explained on the national days page, is described as honouring every Australian's contribution, starting with peoples who have been here for about 65,000 years. And Queensland's entry on the states page mentions the Torres Strait Islands to its north.
Common slips
Do not reverse the two origins: Tasmania goes with Aboriginal people, the islands near Papua New Guinea with Torres Strait Islanders. Do not shorten the time range to a few thousand years, and do not mix up the archaeological range with the date of the First Fleet. Remember that the booklet speaks of "oldest continuous" cultures, not simply "old" ones: the continuity is the point. And when a question asks who may deliver an Acknowledgement of Country, "anyone" is the right answer, however surprising it looks.
Revising this topic
The material sits on the first pages of Part 1 and in the traditions section a few pages later, plus two glossary entries ("Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples" and "Indigenous"). Read those passages in the testable section, answer the practice set above until you reach nine or ten, then return to the rest of Part 1. Because this topic is short, it is a good one to master first: it builds confidence and supplies easy marks.