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“I Wanted to Go to School but My Parents Told Me, 'No Essays

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“I wanted to go to school but my parents told me, 'No they might take you away for good.' And they ran away in the bush. Bonny Tucker, Punjima woman, Western Australia”. (She refers to the Native Welfare taking away Aboriginal children of mixed descent. www.creativespirits.info) These mini essays will discuss Aboriginal Australian history and it’s connections to official education policies both past and present. What is the connection between official education policies and key events in Aboriginal Australian history? How have Aboriginal people responded to these policies? Key events in Aboriginal Australian history stem from the time Australia was first discovered in 1788. For instance, when Federation came into existence …show more content…

Hollinsworth (2006:122) adds that not only was the indifference and low regard for Indigenous culture ‘immoral’ but also foolish and doomed to fail. Examples of Aborigines response to these policies included rejection and mistrust of the education provided (Nichol, 2005:256), they also petitioned in response to the dispossession of land in 1881 (Nichol, 2005:259), Aboriginal parents complained when their children were excluded from school (Parbury 1999:68) and more recently an overt form of resistance is the irregular attendance of Aboriginal students at school (‘jigging’) as well as ‘cheeky behaviour, sullen withdrawal and inattention (Keefe 1992:57).’ The collaborative efforts of groups of Aboriginal Australians resulted in the most significant response that was the 1967 Referendum when 90% of Australians voted to include Aborigines in the census and thus removed the constitutional restrictions placed on Aboriginal Australians (‘Collaborating for Indigenous Rights’ National Museum of Canberra). Despite numerous injustices being committed by political and non-political individuals, both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal people continued efforts to seek equality, justice and access to meaningful public education for Aboriginal people (ab-ed.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au, accessed 14th August, 2010). Accordingly, the success of initiatives such as the establishment of Tranby College

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