The story of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is contested and complex.

From the arrival of the First Fleet to the trauma of the Stolen Generations, the fight for land rights and the Uluru Statement from the Heart, it has often been one of marginalisation and struggle .

Here, we trace how the story has evolved, with a focus on how Indigenous communities have been shaped by shifting government policies.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the images of people who have died.

11 ships change everything

The land, way of life and rich culture of Australia's first people was forever changed by the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788.

The European ships also marked the beginning of a dramatic decline in the Indigenous Australian population.

"It was an invasion," says Pat Anderson AO, who has spent her life advocating for the rights and welfare of Indigenous people and is chair of Australia's national Indigenous health body, the Lowitja Institute.

"Our understanding and our experience of that coming is bloody, it's murderous, it's unforgivable."