Analysis Of The Controversy Between Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Australians

I argue that the ideologies behind The Assimilation Policy were evident since the first white settlers had arrived in 1788. Since first contact, Aboriginal people’s values, customs, beliefs and traditional way of life began to erode. From the 1850s onwards, Aboriginal people were forced onto reserves, and then into towns and cities in the mid 20th century . Many people feared that the ‘Australian’ culture was being affected by immigrants. Since the early 1900s, there had been a ‘White Australia’ policy and assimilation was expected upon arrival. However, Aboriginal people did not immigrate, so their policy, dictated by the Australian States and Commonwealth Government was known as The Policy of Assimilation. Assimilation policies were supported by racist assumptions and represented by settler nationalist imperatives . In the 1950s, assimilation policies for Aboriginal people were supported by the

200 years is enough time to forgive. Wake up, everyone! We know the British came and stole Aboriginal landing, that was a huge crime but now our war ended, we live in our country named Australia and we are Australians, Australia Day is one of our tradition, Aboriginal’s failure won’t change despite we change the day. I am Lake, a Aborigine living and contributing for Australia and I will sorry to Melbourne citizens, especially who want to change the day that i honestly disagree.

The Australian Indigenous community hold extremely significant corrections to the land of Australia, of which they refer to as ‘Country.’ Indigenous people acquire deep meaning from the land, sea and the countless resources derived from them. This special relationship has formed for many centuries. To them ‘Country’ is paramount for overall wellbeing; the strong, significant, spiritual bonds embody their entire existence. Knowledge is continually passed down to create an unbroken connection of past,

Indigenous Australians have faced many changes to their original life style, with numerous policies being brought in. These policies had an incredible affect on how the indigenous Australians lived. The policies inflicted on the indigenous Australians varied widely and had numerous impacts. The policies of assimilation, protection and integration had mainly negative impacts on the community, causing loss of identity, language and religion. The policies of self-determination and reconciliation, had mostly positive effects to the indigenous Australian community, creating a stronger bond between black and white Australians, encouraging the concept of closing the gap between indigenous Australians and non-indigenous Australians. These

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.

Significant cultural differences between the Indigenous Australians and the free settlers caused immediate impacts upon the Indigenous Australians, causing disputes and even death. The free settlers didn’t understand that the Aboriginal people had strong connections to the land and this resulted in many Indigenous people becoming dispossessed from the land and free settlers using the land for their own uses. Because of

Kevin Rudd’s apology was to the Aboriginals; but in particular, to the Stolen Generations. From 1909-1969, the Australian Government forced a policy know as assimilation upon the Aboriginals. Assimilation is the forced integration of minority groups onto the dominant society. Inhumane acts were inflicted upon these proud people because of the ‘Aborigines Protection Board’ which entailed that the Australian Government had full rights to forcibly remove half-caste children from Aboriginal care without parental consent nor a court order.

There is recurrent tension between the maintenance of Indigenous culture and essentially assimilating to the rules and regulations of the predominantly white society in Australia (Dockrey, 2010). Australia’s Aboriginal culture represented the oldest surviving culture in the world (Aboriginal culture, 2017). The traditions include having at least 270 different language groups and 500 dialects in the indigenous community (Shareourpride.org.au, n.d). The vast amount of languages and dialects were present to represent the intellect of Indigenous Australians. Language is a strong aspect of Indigenous culture as it connects and influences many Indigenous tribes as it is their form of communication. The environment also connects aboriginal people spiritually to their land and provides them with a sense of identity (Jackson 1999). Although there were many different groups and clans in the past, the tribes fighting over the land was a rare occurrence (Treatyrepublic.net 1996). This showcases the connection and respect they exhibited for the land and maintaining structure was their main priority. Additionally common law was a way that Indigenous Australians could preserve the ecosystem and cultural integrity, through their spiritual and emotional connection with the land (Langton 1996, p.10). However due to the colonization, there was less formal acknowledgement for Indigenous

Throughout this whole journey of studying AB100, the one goal I have always had was to form a better relationship between myself and those of the Aboriginal community. It wasn’t until I started studying that I realised that this is a shared goal, with organisations having the goal to promote reconciliation. The reason I want to develop a better relationship with the Aboriginal community is not because it’s something to study but more because it is something to undertake. This assessment allowed me the opportunity to do just that by discussing the problems and coming up with original concepts and actions to make a difference where I could. My actions may not be the mighty revolutionary component to creating a better relationship and respect between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community. But the point is I did something, no matter how small, I created awareness amongst the people close to me and created knowledge and relationships for myself and gained a deeper sense of respect and trust towards the Indigenous. My primary goal for this assessment alone was to create awareness and from that inspire the people I know and to break down stereotypes and discrimination to achieve the end goal of equality. Even after I finish this course it will still be important to me as throughout my life and career as a nurse I will be engaging with Aboriginals and to have the knowledge of how to engage and collaborate with them will be something to value. Not only that but also there is every

By the 1950’s all state governments invoked a new policy called assimilation (1950’s – 1960’s), which aimed to eliminate Indigenous cultures, religion and languages. Assimilation was based on the belief that if living conditions were improved, Indigenous Australians were to be absorbed into White Australian society (Hampton & Toombs, Racism, colonisation/colonialism and impacts on indigenous people, 2013). After the failure of the assimilation policy, governments aimed their sights towards Integration (1960’s - 1980’s). Integration was a step towards

Numerous Indigenous individuals see the 1967 Referendum as a representative defining moment, uncovering a broad want for Indigenous balance in Australia. Others felt that the Referendum was unessential to their lives, having little impact on the everyday separation they encountered.

Reconciliation is the process of building respectful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and the wider Australian community. It is about understanding and respecting their culture and heritage and signifies ‘coming together’ to become one nation without racism and with equality for all. There are still vast differences in health, education, employment, and standards of living of the Indigenous peoples as compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. Even today Indigenous peoples have a significantly lower life expectancy, up to 11.5 years for men and 9.7 years for women . The infant mortality rate for the Indigenous peoples is double the rate for non-Aboriginal Australians. Understanding these inequalities is the first step to reconciling the differences. Policies such as the stolen generation and assimilation policy destroyed Indigenous identity and culture and justified the dispossession of Indigenous people and the removal of Indigenous children from their parents. We can’t change the past but we can make a better future by understanding and learning from the mistakes of the past, reconciliation is about that. Many practical and symbolic strategies have been implemented over the last 50 years to achieve reconciliation such as ATSIC, Northern Territory Intervention and the Mabo decision. However, the most significant ones are the 1967 Referendum, Closing the Gap framework in 2008 and the ‘Sorry speech’. The aim is to improve the five dimensions of reconciliation: race relations, equality and equity, institutional integrity, unity, and historical acceptance.

Noel Pearson’s speech ‘an Australian history for us all’ discusses his approach to trying to solve some of the most systemic problems facing Australian Aboriginals today. The speakers are successful in understanding the ideas and values of the speech. Through the uses of various language techniques and context, Pearson’s speech details the struggles of the relationship between the first European settlers and Aboriginal Australians.

The Changing Nature of Aboriginal and Non-aboriginal Relations in Australia from 1946-2000 Since the arrival of Europeans the Aboriginal population has suffered in terms of status, wealth, health and sense of identity. Although there have been steps towards reconciliation there is still a long way to go until Indigenous Australians enjoy the same status as non-indigenous Australians. A referendum was made in 1967, it was a hallmark in Aboriginal history. It was the beginning of the righting of the wrongs that had been committed against the Australian indigenous population since the arrival of white settlers.

Indigenous Australians developed trust issues during colonisation. When the settlers invaded, life would never be the same for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people. Land that had been theirs for roughly 40,000 years was stripped from the Indigenous Australians and all rights were taken away. Most settlers were extremely racist and wanted the Indigenous Australians gone. One settler from Hunter Valley went as far as comparing the Aborigines to apes (Wilson-Miller, 2011). The 1905 Act in Western Australia was then drawn up to provide the Aborigines care and protection. The 1905 Act with its long list of rules and regulations did everything but provide care and protection. Aborigines were carefully watched and everything they did was monitored.