The Indigenous communities of Australia are represented in mainstream print media through a variety of different perspectives, but most often negatively. The indigenous face hardships every day due to racism from the wider community, through 'demeaning welfare payments' and little funding from the government. Aboriginals are also viewed through many negative stereotypes which reflect badly on their community. Their culture is not fully understood and appreciated by Australians and it is not being shown accurately in mainstream media. The government and non-indigenous Australians are yet to fully appreciate Aboriginal cultures and respect their rights. In the letter "If Only" by Maureen Brannan (source 1) it is outlined the problems Aboriginals …show more content…
In the cartoon ‘Trying to stop the boats’ by Bill Leak (source 3), the Aboriginals are portrayed as savage, barbaric and angry people to convey the contention, that Aboriginal communities are uncivilised compared to the European settlers that came to Australia. However the Europeans are seen dressed in official uniforms and acting in mannerly, calm and polite ways. The cartoon victimises the indigenous through the Europeans assuming that they are illiterate and the way they are portrayed, violent with spears, ready to fight. The general asks the convict what he thinks the Aboriginal is saying, instead of asking the Aboriginals politely. The European settlers came to Australia with the preconceived notion of conquering Australia, without consulting the existing communities. The cartoon is biased in the sense that the Europeans are presented as smart and good people whilst the Aboriginals look aggressive and gruff. The Aboriginals are pictured with traditional body paint and in red clothing which indicates the threat of danger. These negative connotations are used with purpose to persuade the viewer to think of the Aboriginals as criminals and …show more content…
In this day and society, Australians rely heavily on print media like newspapers and the internet news outlets to present and deliver factual news about this country. If the media alters our perception of the Indigenous, how can there not be racial discrimination? Many news articles about Aboriginals are put out of context and the facts can be altered to seem more severe. Often, the major news corporations only report on Aboriginal news if a crime has occurred, such as an assault which causes Australians to view the Aboriginals negatively because our perception of them has been skewed. Aboriginals are often misunderstood through this distortion of issues because negative connotations have been placed upon them and they still ‘struggle from day to day.’ The media has an obligation to present truthful information because they have a large impact on societies’ knowledge of the indigenous. This biased view is evident in source 3 because they Aboriginals are viewed as angry, uncivilised people, when most, if not all Aboriginals are completely normal human beings, just with different backgrounds. The media should report on all aboriginal news, good and bad, to provide society with a balanced perspective of the
The idea that indigenous Australian communities are underprivileged and do not receive the same justice that the white community accrues is represented through Jay Swan and his interactions with the corrupt white police officers and the indigenous locals of the town. My empathetic response to the text as a whole was influenced directly by way the text constructs these ideas as well as my knowledge of the way indigenous Australians are represented in the mainstream media and the behaviour of the police force as an institution. These contextual factors and the way Sen has constructed ideas influenced me to empathise with the indigenous
These stereotypes include; drunk, violent, lazy, petrol sniffer, live in the outback, un-educated, criminals and have to fit the image of dark skin with wide noses (Korff, 2014). Indigenous youth are confronted with these during their school life. They will be called names and bullied because people believe these stereotypes, assuming they apply to all Indigenous people. Tammy Williams, from Black Chicks Talking is an example of the bulling Indigenous teenagers face during school. At school one year, a group of teenagers from the school wrote nigger above her school photo in the year book. This was just part of the bullying she received during her school life for being Aboriginal. Tammy is not a stereotypical Aboriginal. She has travelled to America, has won multiple awards and is now a lawyer. Botj, from Yolngu Boy, is a stereotypical Aboriginal. He is a petrol sniffer, smoker and criminal and he is lazy. However, there is a story behind why Botj is like this. Botj is a troubled teenager who drinks and smokes as his father is an alcoholic. He had a troubled family life and this contributes to the actions he takes. The media is largely to blame for the negative stereotypes of Aboriginal People. The media reports negative stereotypes of the Aboriginal community, drinking problems and violent behaviours, which intern makes the white Australian community believe the negative stereotypes that have been
There have been many unanswered questions in Australia about Aboriginal history. One of these is which government policy towards indigenous people has had the largest impact on Indigenous Australians? Through research the Assimilation Policy had the largest impact upon Indigenous Australians and the three supporting arguments to prove this are the Aborigines losing their rights to freedom, Aboriginal children being removed from their families, and finally the loss of aboriginality.
...ndigenous recognition and the removal of racist remarks has been an on-going theme for a vast majority of time. The necessity of Constitutional reform to close the gap on cultural divide as well as support the on-going concept of reconciliation is essential in ensuring Australia continues to improve and nurture its relationship with Indigenous peoples. The process of amendment through referendum has proven to be problematic in the past, with the success rate exceptionally low. Though with key factors such as bi-partisan support, widespread public knowledge and correct management, the alteration to remove racial discrimination and provide recognition for Indigenous persons within the Constitution is highly achievable. If proposed and eventually passed, this will provide assistance in eliminating many of the cultural gaps Indigenous persons face throughout society.
We as Australians are completely unaware of all the suffering, sorrow and sadness we’ve placed upon the Aboriginal people since we set foot on their land. We’ve killed them in cold blood as we’ve had several disagreements with the Aboriginal people. Evidence even shows that all Tasmanian Aboriginals were killed and become completely extinct. We’ve given them diseases which they never used to contract and have wiped out the majority of their people and we even took Aboriginal children away from their own biological parents. The idea behind this was so they would then breed with other Australians which would rid of their full-tribal blood, making them become extinct. Thes...
Struggles by Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people for recognition of their rights and interests have been long and arduous (Choo & Hollobach: 2003:5). The ‘watershed’ decision made by the High Court of Australia in 1992 (Mabo v Queensland) paved the way for Indigenous Australians to obtain what was ‘stolen’ from them in 1788 when the British ‘invaded’ (ATSIC:1988). The focus o...
During the late sixteen century, when the first fleet arrived to Australia and discovered the free settlers or known as Australian Indigenous inheritors (The Aborigines), the community of aboriginal inhabitants since then have experienced vast levels of discrimination and racism against their gender, race, colour and ethnicity. The term over representations refers to the presents of minority or disproportionate ethnic aboriginal groups represented in the criminal justice system (CJS). This essay will further explain the relationship between aboriginal communities and policing discussed in Blagg (2008) and Cunneen (2007, the three major sources of concern in association to aboriginal over representation in CJS which include; systematic bias,
...rial covered in the unit Aboriginal People that I have been studying at the University of Notre Dame Fremantle, Aboriginal people have had a long history of being subjected to dispossession and discriminatory acts that has been keep quite for too long. By standing together we are far more likely to achieve long lasting positive outcomes and a better future for all Australians.
Indigenous Australian’s health has been a focal point and topic of interest for many members of the government and policy markers. The reasoning for why this topic has been of popular interest for the government and policy makers is due to the startling and atrocious lack of health that Indigenous Australian’s suffer. Indigenous Australian’s are disadvantaged in the Australian healthcare system and have the poorest health out of all Australians. “Between 2004 and 2008, 66% of Indigenous deaths occurred before the age of 65 compared with 20% of non-Indigenous deaths.” (Red Dust, p.1) Indigenous Australian’s experience this major disadvantage and neglect in the Australian society due to the poor health care system and policies that haven’t been able to solve the issue. This essay will explore the significant and negative impact on the Indigenous communities and how policy decisions have impacted and continue to impact the Indigenous communities. This essay will also outline why there have been significant policy shifts over time, the current issues in delivering services to Indigenous Australian’s and why these issues have emerged.
Since the time of federation the Aboriginal people have been fighting for their rights through protests, strikes and the notorious ‘day of mourning’. However, over the last century the Australian federal government has generated policies which manage and restrained that of the Aboriginal people’s rights, citizenships and general protection. The Australian government policy that has had the most significant impact on indigenous Australians is the assimilation policy. The reasons behind this include the influences that the stolen generation has had on the indigenous Australians, their relegated rights and their entitlement to vote and the impact that the policy has had on the indigenous people of Australia.
This article will examine the perpetuation of racism in Canada by the mainstream news media by examining three elements: (1) the impact the news media has on mainstream society (i.e. how it shapes thoughts and behaviours), (2) modern manifestations of racism, in particular subtle forms of racism, and (3) the use and impact of racial discourse (such as racial stereotypes and the framing of criminal and deviant behaviour as a racial problem) on society. This article argues that the news media not only reflects and reinforces racism in society through racialised discourse, but also creates and perpetuates subtle notions of bias and exclusion.
Since European invasion in 1788, Indigenous Australians have struggled to maintain their rights and freedoms and to have governments recognise them. Over time, state and Commonwealth governments have implemented policies that have discriminated against Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, denying them equality, opportunity and control of their own lives and those of their children (Jacaranda, 2012). Indigenous Australians have been politically active in demanding their rights. Charles Perkins was an Aboriginal Activist who fought in the struggle for recognition, justice and legal acknowledgments for Indigenous people. To a large extent Charles Perkins has impacted the civil rights of Indigenous Australians; significantly advancing human rights and paving the way for reconciliation.
It would not be inconsistent with the principle of equality before the law that, where members of the Aboriginal race have special needs, those should be recognised by special rules laid down by the law. Further, the law is flexible enough to allow the courts to consider the special situation of an Aboriginal party where that is relevant. As the courts have recognised, the sentencing of Aboriginal offenders presents particular difficulties. Judges, in an attempt to do justice in discharging the difficult role of sentencing tribal and semi-tribal Aboriginal persons, have gone further. Clearly the ordinary criminal law is capable of facing these difficulties. It is neither necessary, nor desirable, to apply to the Aboriginal peoples the rules of their customary law rather than the general law. The attempt to uphold Aboriginal customary law is one aspect of the notion that the Aboriginal peoples will benefit if they continue to be treated as a class separate from the rest of the community, which must necessarily be a dependent and disadvantaged class.
In 1965, an Integration policy was introduced, meaning cultures embracing each other. Although many attempts have been made, including ‘Sorry Day’ and a ‘National Apology’ by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the scars run deep and it is sad to know that there are generations whose roots will never be identified. As well today, self-determination is practised, which means that in any matter pertaining to Aboriginals, then, they have a
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been the first nations, which represented the whole Australian population, for centuries. However, the continuous European colonization has severely affected these peoples and, over the decades, their unique values and cultures, which enriched the life of Australian nation and communities, were not respected and discriminated by numerous restrictive policies. As a result, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have turned into the voiceless minority of the Australian population. Fortunately, in recent years, these issues became the concern of the Australian government, promoting a slight improvement in the well being of native Australians. Nowadays, there are numerous social work