Over the past 230 years, Aboriginal people have protested in many different ways to gain the rights they believe they deserve. Through the goals of what they wanted to achieve, the processes they went through brought them disappointment at the poor results of some actions and pleasure at the success of others. Over these years, very few periods of protest have been as revealing and effective as the protests that occurred between 1938 and 1972. During this period many different groups of Aboriginal people fought for the common cause of being recognized as people rather than for interference caught in the middle. of the expansion of Australians as a nation. One of the most significant Aboriginal attempts at equality in the 20th century was the Day of Mourning. This service took place in 1938, 150 years since white settlement in Australia. While all white Australians celebrated what they saw as the birth of their homeland, Aboriginal people mourned the death of their land, as they knew it. Held in Sydney, this protest attracted great media attention. Over the next few days, Prime Minister Lyons met with the protest committee and heard the plan they had drawn up for equality in Australia. The purpose of this action was to gain recognition from the Australian people, particularly the government, that white settlers had invaded what was then Aboriginal land. They wanted an action plan to be put in place to ensure equality between white Australians and Aboriginal people. Although the Aboriginal people believed they had achieved something through this protest, all the efforts went unrewarded, as Lyons did nothing for the Aboriginal equality plan. Each subsequent Australia Day has hosted a day of protest mourning by Aboriginal people... to the center of the card... to the Freedom Races, every result was respected in the 1967 referendum and from the tented embassy to the Mabo Decision , all the protests have moved towards the common goal and now achieving land rights. In the 21st century, the Australian government has made further efforts to attempt to ensure the living standards of Aboriginal people in Australia. Although life expectancy, available facilities, educational and employment opportunities are still very different to those offered to white Australians, progress has been made since the original meeting between Europeans and Aboriginal people. From the stewardship of an Aboriginal minister and Aboriginal facilities across Australia to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's 'Sorry Day' speech in 2008, the people of Australia, both European and Aboriginal, are progressing towards a more equitable future.