Is Shared Sense of History Possible in Australia?

The history wars of Australia is an area of great controversial debate. Throughout the course of Australian history, the public has been mainly subjected to one perspective that focused on the glorifying moments of European settlement and its progress such as its involvement in world wars and the transition of the nation into a globalised continent. As a result, there is a rigid dichotomy between the perceptions of white Australians and the indigenous population on subjects such as the colonisation or invasion of Australia. History told from the perspective of Aboriginal people greatly contrasts what is written in the history books and also what is exposed or encouraged towards the public. It focuses on the dispossession of indigenous people, the massacres and the attempted eradication of culture. This view of Australian history has been labeled as 'black armband history', which was first used during an interview by a historian, Geoffrey Blainey.

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

During the Frontier period, Indigenous peoples resisted the non-Indigenous settlement of Australia, throughout 1770-1890. During approximately throughout the 1890’s to 1970’s, the non-Indigenous retaliations occurred, resulting in protection, segregation and the stolen generations. Which initiated an ongoing impact on Indigenous communities.

-European settlement caused many conflicts, where it is estimated that at least 20,000 Indigenous people were killed from the direct result of colonial violence during this era. Between 2,000-2,500 settler deaths resulted from frontier conflict during the same period. The number difference is quite large and this may be because the technology the British were much more advanced. There was also scenarios, like the massacre in Myall Creek, which the Aboriginals

Understanding how the historical factors have influenced Indigenous Australians helps operationalise the sociological imagination. The history of Indigenous people is important as many of the disadvantages they endure today is connected to the past. A historical awareness influences individuals to understand how organisations and institutions impact the health and wellbeing of a minority (Germov, 2002).The existence of Indigenous Australians well begins before the European invasion and colonisation of Australia. Aboriginal people were the native land owners, as they have been in Australia for over 60,000 years, prior to the British settlement in 1788.3 (workingwithindigenousaustralians.info, 2017). Indigenous Australians have been living off

Aboriginal people, since British settlement, have faced great inequalities and much racial discrimination on their own soil. Aboriginal Australians through great struggle and conflict have made significant progress in the right to their own land. To better understand the position of the Aboriginal Australians, this essay will go into more depth about the rights that Aboriginal people had to their own land prior to federation. It will also include significant events and key people who activated the reshaping of land rights for Indigenous Australians and how that has affected the rights Aboriginal people now have in the 21st Century, in regards to their land.

In a recent article authored by Alice Pung, a first generation Australian of Southeast Asian parents, titled ‘Living with Racism in Australia (Pung 2016), Alice details key points within her (and her families) life revolving around their migration from Cambodia to Australia. Within this she touches on, albeit briefly however still illustrating her point quite clearly, immigration, race/racism, assimilation, ethnic minorities, ethnic conflict and social cohesion.

Research an aspect of Australian history (e.g. policy, practice) and outline the ways in which this aspect has impacted on Aboriginal people and Aboriginal education.

The Mabo decision of 1992 was hailed as a landmark case in the history of indigenous-white relations in Australia. Overturning centuries of injustice, as well as the myth of right by ‘terra nullius’, the case prompted the passing of the Native Title Act of 1993, which affirmed native title and asserted that native Australians possessed their land under common law, and in doing so ushered in a new era of equality in Australian society. However, though correctly lauded as a milestone in recognition of aboriginals as valid legal entities, the act was not without its problems, and in truth has had little impact on Australian society as a whole. As we shall see, the trend of positive reform existent in the act was not supported in practice, and aboriginal Australians remain at the mercy of Western courts when it comes to their land. Though the Mabo decision and the subsequent Native Title Act went some way to correcting past injustices, its actual impact on Australian society has been negligible.

This resulted in the Indigenous occupants being on the receiving end of injust treatment. Torture, abuse and exploitation were among the cruel activities that were practised by the Europeans. The British in Australia treated the Indigenous viciously to the extent of offering them food that had been poisoned. Rights and freedom of speech had been taken away from the Indigenous people. From their actions, the Europeans were selfish and heartless and did not allow any other opinion except of their own race. They did not contemplate on their actions, instead of a peace offering they took the violent path to negotiate a solution with the Indigenous

Through the eyes of indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, the effects from the actions of early settlers have caused controversy between the two today. As far as acceptance goes, the act needs to be undertaken by the two parties to join as one Australia. The backlash of “forgetting”/accepting the past and moving on can affect non-indigenous and the indigenous population. There is no solution in collaborating the two cultures, only by accepting both: and the ability to share and welcome everyone into the other culture with no liability or criticism.

Ironically, the civilised people who brought the ‘improvements’ could not cope to live in peace with the natives, where countless Aboriginal lives vanished under the ‘superior’ governance of the new settlers. Regardless which part of the continent including Tasmania, the history has shown many unfair

Good afternoon and welcome to today’s Youth Forum, my name is Kirsty Denholm and I will be discussing the relationships between the indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Australia past, present and future. During the colonization of Australia in 1788, the Europeans had very conflicting colonial perspectives towards the “native” Aboriginal people, which were fundamentally negative, however after a period of time both inhabiting Australia, a positive relationship occurred and they began to overcome these differences and slowly the Europeans saw the Aborigines as equals. George Worgan’s journal entry and Auguste Earle’s painting both provide insight and illustrate the different opinions and perceptions thought of the “natives” by the Europeans.

Thus, silencing the entire right wing European and Government perspectives. The current Australian Curriculum sees year 9 and 10 students tasked with exploring massacres and the spread of European disease as effects of European-Indigenous contact, this accompanies investigating accounts of Indigenous Australians removed from their families during The Stolen Generation (Australiancurriculum.edu.au, 2017). Young Australians, under the premise of education, are presented a biased review of Australia’s history, guided to recognise only Indigenous perspectives and negative effects (Davies, 2014). Is this practise compromising Australians entire understanding of Australia’s history, particularly Indigenous relations? Historians including Bain Attwood, a leading scholar in the field of cross-cultural history, suggests: “the Stolen Generations narrative is endangering historical truths…”(R. Kennedy, 2001). The Australian Curriculum negates justly acknowledging the Protection policies roots in aiming to ensure acceptance of half cast children into white society, in the pursuit of peacefully assimilating Australia’s cultural divide. As was the dominate discussion focus of the 1937 Commonwealth-State Native Welfare Conference, theorising “how

Essay introduction approx. 200 words There has been much controversy and debate over the issue of frontier violence and conflict between colonial settlers and indigenous Australians during early colonisation of Australia. While some historians contend that the evidence of frontier violence and indigenous deaths has been overestimated, others argue that the figures are potentially under estimated. There is ample evidence to indicate violence and deaths did