Vietnam War protest at Parliament House, Canberra, 1970

The Vietnam moratorium protests, the first of which took place on 8 May 1970, were the largest public demonstrations in Australia’s history at the time. They represented growing discontent within a portion of the Australian population to the government’s commitment to the Vietnam War in general and conscription in particular. The protests took place during a period of great social change in Australia, when people from a range of backgrounds were prepared to defy authority.