Australia and Indigenous People

In this essay I will examine the development of Australian society and subsequent rights given to Australian citizens, thus addressing the guiding question as quoted at the top of the paper.

Australia claims to be an egalitarian land of equal opportunity; however, the documentary Cronulla Riots suggests that it is not applicable to all of its citizens. Especially for those Muslim Australians who lived 26km away from South of Sydney CBD during 11th Dec. 2005 – 15th Dec. 2005. They were ill disposed to their fellow White Australians living down the street from them. For them, tensions grew day by day.

Social inequality is a problematic phenomenon that occurs all around the world and affects both the developed and developing nations. It is defined as “the unequal distribution of social, political and economic resources within a social collective” (van Krieken et al. 2013, p. 205). Inequality is closely connected with social stratification, a system of social hierarchy that positions individuals and groups into categories according to social variables such as class or ethnicity (van Krieken et al. 2013, p. 485). This stratification has a significant impact on the opportunity that an individual may have to move up the hierarchy of inequality (Gill 2017a).

Good morning and welcome to the Sunday afternoon poetry session. The alienation of individuals and groups within society is a tragic feature of Australian life. The despair and despondency experienced by those individuals allow for artistic endeavours that address issues that have left them outcast and marginalised from mainstream society. The isolation of minority groups such as migrants, Indigenous Australians or those deemed to be “other” from Australia’s dominant, white culture, provides an interesting lens through which our society can be viewed and examined. Two poems that explore and address the alienation of a minority group are Lisa Bellear’s Women’s Liberation and Uyen Loewald’s Be Good, Little Migrant. Through the use of the highest form of literature, although with differing emphases, the two poets put forth the harsh reality of the estrangement their own social and ethnic group face.

In contrast ‘The Australian Dream’, Grant has presented his perception on the issue of racism on suffering Indigenous Australians is being covered by false lies to enhance Australia’s image of being a multicultural country. “But every time we are lured into the light, we are mugged by the darkness of this country’s history.” Through the utilisation of metaphor and juxtaposition, Grant is able to make a emphasis that, Australia had tried to erase racism, such as through the apologies and reconciliation, but are then blinded by the past targeting of Aboriginal people who continue to be disadvantaged in the community today. Through this Grant has stated that the nation covers the truth by providing hope to those most vulnerable but in fact the perception of a multicultural country still contains racism. Whereas in Bruce Dawe’s, the language devices used are more reflective and inspirational in allowing people to come to the realisation of the difficult experiences.“It

In a world surrounded by media, people are reliant on truthful and honest information to form accurate conceptions of current events and issues. Australia is a self-proclaimed multicultural country who aims to achieve equality and equity. However, through the analysis of the comparative text between, Stan Grant’s ‘The Australian Dream’ and Pauline Hanson’s, “Maiden Speech” it is clear that the truth is juxtaposed with the reality of the present Australia, who is still a country with racism and inequality. Despite two people stating the arguing issue, there are different perceptions of truth of who is the most vulnerable. In which Grant places great significance on the racism rooted in the Australian Dream and Hanson’s stance for non-Indigenous people inequality.

Since World War 2 and the Vietnam War, Australia has become a multicultural country. Before the Vietnam War, though, the Australian government tried their best to keep Australia ‘white’. After the fear of communism from Vietnam, the government thought it would be in the country’s best interest to try and build up the population in Australia, but only allowing ‘white’ Europeans and British people to come. What is included in this report, is to discover how and why the migrants from non-European countries manage to change the face of modern Australia.

Australia’s identity has always been a complicated one. Starting with Aboriginal genocide, 1800’s cowboys and villains, two world wars and a bunch of poems describing them, it makes it difficult to conclude on what being an ‘Aussie’ really is. Thankfully, the two thought-provoking poems Nobody Calls Me a Wog Anymore by Komninos Zervos, and My Country by Dorothea Mackellar both use their discerning selection of themes to reflect modern attitudes in some extent. Along with their themes, Nobody Calls Me a Wog Anymore and My Country both use their story to capture the attributes modern Australians possess to some degree.

It is thought by many that part of the Australian identity is being a very tolerant country that accepts and includes all cultures and people from all walks of life; however, after coming across the poems No More Boomerang by Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Be Good, Little Migrants by Uyen Loewald, the experiences felt by two Australians prove that this idea is... questionable.

Reports from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2003a, 2003b, as cited in Ashman & Elkins, 2009, p. 7) show 25% of the Australian population is currently made up of migrants from around 200 countries. This fact demonstrates Australia, on the whole, has a tolerant and inclusive society. A society can be identified as a collection of people who live together in a relatively ordered community (Ashman & Elkins, 2009, p. 7). It could be said, Australia has one of the most inclusive societies on the planet; however, this was not always the case.

In conclusion we are very fortunate country that others envy but like all countries, we have a dark side. This dark side is unleashed in "Tri" by Franc Echin and in "Fifties Australia" by Philip Knightly. The stories both share some of the racism that is Australia's history. These texts do not exaggerate the horror of racism as we have all seen or know individuals that suffer racism, so racism must be changed from Australia to improve our

6). The Diversity and Equity policy (DET 2013) was created to respond to the growingly diverse Victorian Community. Many Victorians face issues of racism and bullying and due to cultural and religious backgrounds, as well as socio-economic status, many do not experience equal or equitable opportunities. This is due to the emergence of our society as neo-liberal. Neo-liberalism means that ‘the agenda of economic and social transformation’ (Connell, 2013, p. 99) has moved from public agencies to ‘companies selling services in a market.’ A society modelled under neo-liberalism is skewed to support those with money and privilege, a majority of which, in Australian society, are middle class Anglo-Australians. As a result, the issues of equity and diversity within a neo-liberal society leave those affected at a marked disadvantage in comparison to the majority of Australians. The Diversity and Equity policy (DET 2013) is an attempt to improve the disadvantage experienced by the

Australia has always been centered around diversity and change, specifically with the vast multiculturalism and migrant culture throughout the nation. The specifics of Identity hold an important role in shaping our identity as students and as a nation. Australians pride themselves on being a land of the free and full of diverse culture. This is specifically referred to in our national Anthem; “For those who've come across the seas, We've boundless plains to share; With courage let us all combine,”(McCormick, 1984). Displaying Australia’s open attitude towards immigrants and contributes to the diversity present within our society today. Even before this, much of Australia’s Identity was associated with caucasian culture (Originating from British Settlers). Which is the dominant perception of Australia through the media with australian representation being present through the stereotypes of Bogans, which was made popular through shows like Kath and Kim (ABC, 2007). Also, represented through the popular depiction of Australian people - the bushman made popular by movies like Crocodile Dundee (Faiman, 1986) and through famous real life bushman; Steve Irwin. An important aspect of Australian identity which is consistently neglected is the culture and representation of the initial owners of the land; the aboriginal people. Throughout history the constant mistreatment and neglect of the indigenous, has lead to a massive gap in privilege between the aboriginal people and our

The overall effects and impact of globalisation on Australia may well be positive to the general population, but there will always be

A key component of Australian culture today is not only their diversity, but more importantly, the