I respectfully acknowledge the Elders and custodians of the Yuin nation, past and present, their descendants and kin of the land where I am living, studying and working. This is a warning that this journal may contain images, voices and names of deceased Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Island people. Whilst attending school with two Aboriginal students in my class, I was never exposed to people stereotyping Aboriginal people.…
Australian indigenous people lived on this land for up to 60,000 years before Europe discovered the country and claimed settlement. The ingenious people lived their own lives, spoke their own language and had their own lifestyle. They believed they belonged to the land. They lived semi nomadic lifestyles traveling seasonally letting their previous land to re-flourish. This all changed in 1788 when the British claimed settlement.…
As you are reading this article today, remember that although Aboriginal people make up only 3% of Australia’s total population, they represent over 28% (9,940 adult prisoners) of Australia’s prison population in 2015 and this number is rising. To combat this issue, the Murri Court was established. The Murri Court was founded in Queensland in 2002 in response to the increasing representation of Indigenous Australian people in prison. This court sentences Indigenous offenders who plead guilty to offences which fall within the jurisdiction of the Magistrates Court, for example assault or theft.…
Social determinants of health (SDH) are factors that determine health and wellbeing and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people these have been identified to be a history of health, racism, poverty, social class, education, powerlessness, employment, income, incarceration, housing and infrastructure, family separation, control over own health, land and reconciliation (Eckermann, Dowd, Chong, Gray, & Johnson, 2010, pp.168-169). This is why SDH are conditions where people born, grow, work, live and age and can are influenced by forces and systems like social norms (McMurray & Clendon, 2015, pp 10-11). Therefore, culture has a direct correlation with SDH as it shapes and defines how people see the world and their place in it. It is learnt…
In Australian history the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia were not treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve, they have been the protectors of this land for many years before British colonised here, they lived from the land and they had a very strong community based life. After years of demoralising them and taking their basic ways of life away from them, we now have certain policies and procedures in place to bring the equality back. From the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Health Plan 2013-2023 the government is committed to improving health and wellbeing through closing the gap in health outcomes with the wider Australian population. In the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Health…
Indigenous Australian Youth Introduction (100 words) Although the ongoing efforts to close the inequality gap between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians, statistics show that Indigenous Australian youth still face significant disadvantages. This report will discuss the disadvantages Indigenous youth face in education and the criminal justice system by using up-to-date statistics to illustrate this. Additionally, this report will link these disadvantages with unit concepts to further explain why these forms of inequality are occurring and continuing. This report will refer to key concepts; the definitions are provided here.…
Some structural issues within an Aboriginal community are triggered from the effects of colonization that was enforced by the Canadian government. Jordan and his family seem to be impacted significantly by these issues. Some impacts his family could be facing at the moment is “poverty, [unemployment,] lack of education, inadequate or lack of affordable housing and dependency on social services” (Ives, Denov, Sussman 2015, p. 214). Jordan seems to be struggling with alcohol issues along with his father, which could be triggered by being unemployed or having little income, One would need to investigate the case further to see if the statement is true. It seems to be true that Jordan is experiencing child poverty considering that he is resorting…
Due to the effects of colonization, discrimination, and racism, Aboriginal peoples, as well as their communities, have been experiencing adverse health outcomes that have been resonating across generations. The negative health outcomes are a result of years of damage to their traditions, languages, beliefs and self-identity. The high rates of HIV, depression and chronic diseases among Aboriginals are linked to experiences of poverty, unemployment, racism, and poor living conditions as well as the loss of community ties. Likewise, the participants in those studies found that reconnecting to their communities and cultures was an essential method of coping with their illness (Cain 2011). However, the extent and methods by which Aboriginals reconnected…
The movement of peoples in Australia between 1750 to 1810 was a very important time in the development of this country. During the period from 1750 to 1770, Australia was entirely populated by Indigenous groups whose cultures and beliefs had not changed for over 50,000 years. During 1770, Captain James Cook, a British Lieutenant, landed his ship Endeavour at Botany Bay in New South Wales. The Aboriginal clan that was located in that area were unhappy and tried to stop Cook and his crew from coming ashore. Cook's crew were greater in number and were able to overpower them.…
(From the education perspective, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children do not have enough knowledge about nutrition so that they have limited capacity to make the healthy selections. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander children are from low socioeconomic families, they are more likely to consume the unhealthy food as prices of healthy food are assumed to be higher than the unhealthy food. Consequently, they have low intake of fruits and vegetables and high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and processed foods. According to Thurber (2014), the quantities of soft drink consumption is higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children than non-indigenous…
As Australians we are proud of our culture we deem fair and just. Yet we often forget the prosperity of Australia was in great part the result of dispossessing the Aboriginal people of their lands. The Aboriginals lived peacefully, their culture and society sacred and complex. The land, a fundamental component of their spirituality and identity. However with the arrival of the British, Australia was declared Terra Nullius, a land that belonged to no one.…
The Aboriginal Torres Islander are the first indigenous settlers living in Australia for more than 40000 years. The Aboriginal People normally have dark brown skin, and big brown eyes. The Aboriginal Torres Islander communities…
Aboriginal culture is one of the few civilisations that have continued on tens of thousands of years of consistent beliefs, values and traditions up until present day. The culture varies as it has over 600 regions or tribes that have their own specific language and beliefs.*CHANGE SLIDE* It has many unique aspects specific only to aboriginal culture such as the dreamtime, traditional sports and art. Even though the culture has prolonged its ongoing teachings it has been influenced by other foreign cultures, in specific Europe.*change Slide* Britain colonised Australia from 1788 onwards to the early 1900’s and only recently made attempts to officially reconcile. Throughout this process Britain has had a consistent influence on aboriginal people,…
Introduction Aboriginal people are culturally diverse with a substantial and convincing history. The Aboriginal Australians had an impact of colonisation, legislation and the stolen generation which has created a major hardship for them. These problems are continuing today with an impact on Aboriginal people and their mental health. As a result, of the impact of their history, problems such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression are becoming more ordinary in Aboriginal communities across Western Australia.…
Throughout decades, healthcare in Australia have worked hard through both on individuals and populations to improved the Aboriginal health compared to non-Aboriginal. In the past, many of Aboriginals generations have neglected as a result of discrimination and deficiency of healthcare services in remote areas (National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization). Hence, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) (p.9), has announced in 2010, one of their priorities is to improve Aboriginal health by understanding their history and culture and defy racism in GPs practices. There are three main determinants associated with the poor health of Aborigines. First, mental health, which considered a fundamental component…