The contributions and achievements of Indigenous role models continue to make substantial impacts upon our history in areas such as the arts, sport, education, science and more increasingly; the world of Politics. Modern Australia is recognising and celebrating the achievements of Aboriginal people more than ever before, where the social landscape is changing (albeit slowly) as a result. The gradual change of peoples ingrained preconceptions, unfounded ideas and prejudiced notions are being challenged and ultimately transformed.
Aboriginal children under 12 were working illegally, with inadequate accommodation and rations, sexual abuse of Aboriginal women, no sanitation or rubbish removal facilities, and limitation to safe drinking water. -(1)- . It was not just the land right issues that triggered this campaign, but also the lack of personal rights and freedom of the Aboriginals that influenced this action.
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.
The next policy brought in was the policy of self determination this, was very welcomed by the aboriginal community, as it gave the aboriginals back some of their rights. As the relationship between non-indigenous Australians and indigenous Australians improved, there was a high demand for reconciliation. With many opinions including why the people of today should say sorry for the past Australians injustices. The affects from reconciliation were caused by the controversial approach; there have been numerous speeches, activities and ‘sorry days’. The affects from all the policies varied greatly, due to the differences in the policies. The affects caused change the path of history and have gotten us where we are today.
...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.
Aboriginal people because of their skin colour were not considered people until 1929. Not being considered a person meant that you had no rights, could not vote and often had to carry an identity card and report to people whenever leaving a reserve. Aboriginals were also prohibited to be a part of the Canadian forces. Although it is not one of the best jobs it was unfair to deny aboriginal Canadians the option to pursue a military career and fight for their country if they so please. Not only did we deprive aboriginals of basic rights and privileges but we also attempted to force them into our customs with residential schools. Residential schools separated all aboriginals from white people and attempted to stripe them of their culter. Upon arrival aboriginals would be banned to talk their aboriginal language and would have to deal with poor conditions such as being forced to eat rotten food, over crowded areas and often sexual abuse. 17,000 students were enrolled in residential schools across Canada with an average death rate of 42% of students. If we were able to treat our own people with such cruelty and disgrace how are we expected to treat others
The HREOC’s began a process called the Bringing Them Home report to help Indigenous families and victims of the Stolen Generation reconnect and to bring focus to the discrimination and illegality of stealing a child away from their family. The report suggested that the authorities should apologise for what they’ve done to the Indigenous people, help them reunite with their family, publically
Indigenous People. In evaluating the Legal System’s response to Indigenous People and it’s achieving of justice, an outline of the history of Indigenous Australians - before and during settlement - as well as their status in Australian society today must be made. The dispossession of their land and culture has deprived Indigenous People of economic revenue that the land would have provided if not colonised, as well as their ... ... middle of paper ... ...
Rudd, K. (2008, February 13). Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, MP – Apology to Australia’s Indigenous peoples [Parliament of Australia, House of Representatives]. [Transcript]. Canberra, ACT: Retrieved from http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-country/our-people/apology-to-australias-indigenous-peoples
Aboriginal Act 1905 is an act to make provision for the better protection and care of the Aboriginal inhabitants of Western Australia ( ). Though the act was designed to improve conditions for the Aboriginals, it strictly segregating them from the rest of the community ( ). Premier John Forrest has claimed that the denial of basic rights as citizens of this country for Aboriginals is for their own good ( ). According to the Act, the police could enter their houses without permission and steal their children ( ). My heart ached for the kids who went through the trauma and their family when I saw the true story Rabbit Proof Fence (Noyce 2002). Many children were sent to missions and in some cases they never saw them again (). The chief protector
“Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human History. We reflect on their past mistreatment. We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations—this blemished chapter in our nation’s history. The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia’s history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future. We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians” (apology by Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, 16th November 2009, Parliament House, Canberra.)
As European domination began, the way in which the European’s chose to deal with the Aborigines was through the policy of segregation. This policy included the establishment of a reserve system. The government reserves were set up to take aboriginals out of their known habitat and culture, while in turn, encouraging them to adapt the European way of life. The Aboriginal Protection Act of 1909 established strict controls for aborigines living on the reserves . In exchange for food, shelter and a little education, aborigines were subjected to the discipline of police and reserve managers. They had to follow the rules of the reserve and tolerate searchers of their homes and themselves. Their children could be taken away at any time and ‘apprenticed” out as cheap labour for Europeans. “The old ways of the Aborigines were attacked by regimented efforts to make them European” . Their identities were threatened by giving them European names and clothes, and by removing them from their tra...
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s public apology to the indigenous people of Australia is a key event in Australia’s history. It apologised for the past mistreatment of Aboriginals. It apologised for the Stolen Generations and their families. It apologised for ‘the laws and policies of successive governments that inflicted grief, suffering and loss on these, our fellow Australians.’ However, the scars still remain. Aside from the apology that was given, nothing else was done to help the Aboriginals, not even any compensation was given to the victims. A vocal apology was all they got. The rights and freedoms of the Aboriginal people didn’t change because of Kevin Rudd’s apology. No laws were changed, no new policies were made. Nothing.
An Australian council speaker tells us " it was standard practice ... children were taken from their homes ... Whole communities were shifted form their home to another part of the country. Aboriginal life has been regulated and supervised at almost every turn. There was no choice." But did the Aboriginal people pose any threat? In almost all cases of racism the people being treated unfairly are the people under threat.
Within Australia, beginning from approximately the time of European settlement to late 1969, the Aboriginal population of Australia experienced the detrimental effects of the stolen generation. A majority of the abducted children were ’half-castes’, in which they had one white parent and the other of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. Following the government policies, the European police and government continued the assimilation of Aboriginal children into ‘white’ society. Oblivious to the destruction and devastation they were causing, the British had believed that they were doing this for “their [Aborigines] own good”, that they were “protecting” them as their families and culture were deemed unfit to raise them. These beliefs caused ...